Successful salespeople always have certain behaviors, thoughts, tactics, strategies and actions. Jeffrey Gitomer believes that if you follow his 21.5 Laws of Selling, you can achieve a great position in sales.
Let’s see what he wants to say in this book.
This book is a sales manual laced with self-aggrandizement, but perhaps it shows the strength required in sales. In this book, Gitomer has some sales tips that may not be specific to him, but they are valuable.
Although the name of this book talks about “21.5 laws”, the author actually proposes 22.5 laws. One law is the “Golden Law” and because of its great importance, it does not have a number at all, and it is mentioned before the others.
Jeffrey Gitomer
Jeffrey Gitomer (born February 11, 1946 in West Palm Beach, Florida) is an American salesperson, author, and speaker who writes and lectures on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development. He is the author of 17 books, including the best-selling book “Little Red Book of Selling“. More than 4 million people have read his “Selling Activities” column, and more than 250,000 people have received his weekly e-mail newsletter, “Selling Caffeine.” He gives more than 100 lectures a year all over the world as well as the States.
Do the right things
This is the golden law, without which all other rules are meaningless.
Gitomer says to master the 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling, you must always do the right thing regardless of the pressure of “competition and losses.” Prioritize the customer’s needs regardless of the sales plan. Do things that will help your business grow in the long run. To protect your reputation, put ethics at the forefront of business decisions.
Don’t just work, but do The Right Thing
For example, “calling to follow up” is just one thing, but leaving a valuable message or providing useful information is the “right thing to do.” Taking the time to connect is the “right thing to do.” Working overtime to find new customers and make connections is the “right thing to do.” Calling buyers weekly is the “right thing to do.” Regular posting of useful information to benefit buyers is the “right thing to do”.
Doing the right thing requires individual discipline and consistency, so not everyone will accept it. But you have to be different from others. Start now and try to think about what the “right thing” is about anything.
Now that we know the golden law, it’s time to look at Gitomer’s 21.5 laws:
1.Attract enthusiastic buyers
Use the correct “95/95 ratio”, this means that when a prospect calls, there is a 95% chance of selling to them; But when YOU call, the probability that they will not answer you is 95% and 100% they will hang up on you!
Forget the phone call. Find active customers for your industry on Twitter and LinkedIn. Join groups and networks of managers. Write articles and give speeches to demonstrate your skills, and ask existing customers to refer other buyers.
2.Answer positively
Selling is hard work. You have to deal with competitors, objections from buyers and other daily pressures. If you don’t have the right attitude, you will be disappointed. Be optimistic and positive. Always think of positive answers you can give to customers. If you adopt a “positive response” attitude, regular and prospective customers will enjoy being around you and doing business with you. To stay positive, be kind to at least one person every day. Do everything with a smile, others will get your good feeling.
3.Believe it before you achieve it
The more you believe in yourself, the more you sell. When you reach an acceptable level of self-confidence, sales will increase. Buyers and potential customers will be impressed by your character and will feel your self-confidence; So they believe you.
Self-belief is the “mysterious ingredient” of success. You must also have deep faith in the company and its products and services.
4.Be funny
Buyers love to connect with people who make them feel good and even make them laugh. People always pay attention to funny things. They always want to hear more interesting things from you. The funnier you are, the more sales you make. If you are not funny, learn how to be funny. Never tell jokes, but tell funny stories when appropriate. Tell stories of your personal experiences or things you have seen around you. Learn how comedians make people laugh and design your storytelling method accordingly.
5.Build your own brand
The era of sending a resume and finding a job through the introduction of others is over. With the Internet, Google, blogs and social media, your professional brand is more important than anything else.
The components of a strong private brand include likability, believability, availability, consistency, and the ability to inspire trust.
Find a way to get to these wherever you are. For example, you can publish a weekly “e-magazine” to introduce your brand to current and potential buyers. Buy a dedicated domain name for yourself or your company. Create a beautiful website that can be an advertisement for you and your brand. Show that you are the best in your field of work and communicate with customers in the best way.
6.Get famous
Your reputation complements your brand and is extremely important. The components of reputation are: “the reputation of the company and its products and services” and “your personal reputation and the character you have in the eyes of the people you deal with”.
Always follow through on commitments to earn a valuable reputation. Be friendly and approachable. Provide detailed, exclusive services that competitors cannot do. Help current and prospective buyers build their business; For example, send them important tips that will help sell their product in an email, or any other way. They will love your work.
7.Be decisive and resistant
Prospective buyers don’t like pushy salespeople. So, be firm without being annoying. Assertiveness is the result of a deep belief in yourself, your company, your products and services, and a strong positive attitude.
Try to convey a feeling of positive anticipation, complete preparation and receiving value to buyers. Be assertive during sales pitches and follow-ups. Be steadfast in everything.
8.Show your excellence
Top salespeople excel in all business activities. Top salespeople always work hard to create lasting standards of excellence in their industry, just like Wilt Chamberlain who scored an incredible 100 in a professional basketball game or Elvis Presley who was king of the stage. Sellers control their activities and therefore control their opportunities to demonstrate their superiority. Buyers consider only certain sellers to be “great”, not all. Try to be great in the eyes of the people you deal with.
9.First, provide value
In order to create value for buyers, find out what they see value in, in increased sales, more loyal employees and buyers, higher productivity, better morale, higher profits, elimination of problems, or what?
Are these items that the customer receives? If you’re not sure, redefine “value”. Review sales records and identify items that are important to buyers. Reach out to your top 10 buyers and ask them what value you’ve provided. Use that information to redefine “value”.
10.Have empathy
This means looking at things from the customer’s perspective. Is the focus of your business and the messages you convey based on “us” or “them”? It is very important for buyers to have you as part of their team.
With the ubiquity of the Internet, the rise of competitive products, and extensive competition, buyers must always be the first priority. Focus on “you” and “them” instead of “me” and “us”.
11.Ask before you speak
If you don’t know what buyers want, you can’t convey the right value. Find out what is important to them. Don’t ask Logical Questions such as “What is your current salary?”. The best answer to such a question is: “None of your business!”.
Instead, ask emotional questions, For example, “Where do you want to be?” or “How do you use it in your business?” or “How does it help your cause?”.
Never ask, “How much would you sell your business for?”. With this question, you show yourself as a “price broker”. Instead, always be a “value provider”.
12.Provide memorable service
Long-term success in sales requires excellent service. Zappos, Lexus and Nordstrom have succeeded in the market with this method. You too can succeed in your own market. Take advantage of every opportunity to provide unforgettable service.
Two principles of great service are “Don’t worry about yourself, worry about them” and “Don’t say what you can’t do, say what you can do.”
13.Reward loyalty
Loyal customers are the pinnacle of business success. If the buyers are happy to work with you, they will be loyal to you and tell their friends and acquaintances about you.
Reciprocate this loyalty by being friendly and providing prompt service. Make sure buyers are satisfied with every interaction with you and your company. Don’t just please them, make them love you like crazy.
14.Gain trust
Always trust others first. The trust you gain is the result of the trust you have placed in others. No one buys from an unreliable seller. To gain trust, be completely trustworthy. Remember the golden rule, always do the right thing. Show your sensitivity. Show people that you value their trust.
15.Use the voice of buyers
The voice of 1 buyer is louder than the voice of 1000 sellers.
One buyer’s compliment is worth as many sales presentations, so act in such a way that your customers will refer you to their friends in your absence.
Highly satisfied customers praising you are infinitely more authentic than any sales pitch. Testimonials that you receive in the form of text, voice or video from your loyal customers are special and necessary proofs that make future buyers ask for it even before they are sure to buy it.
16.Discover the reason
You have a great product and a great sales pitch, but when it comes to the buyer’s decision, you often hear “I want to think about it.”
As a sales professional you need to understand what happened. Ask yourself why the buyer regretted at the last moment? You need to know where you stand and what you need to do to perform better in the next interaction. Don’t annoy the buyer by asking “why”. Try not to blame him. For example, ask “In what case do you buy this product?”; This way, you will not only manage the discussion, but also understand what is required.
17.Be determined to succeed
What motivates you? What position do you want to reach? To answer these questions, examine your goals, urgencies, motivations, and desires. If you don’t have honest and sincere goals, you won’t get anywhere. “Target Force” is much stronger. “My goal is to sell it” is much better than “I will sell it.”
The second sentence is tentative, not definitive; Remember that certainty makes all the difference in sales.
18.Look different
If your product or service is the same as everyone else’s, why should a potential buyer buy from you?
In order to sell, you need to answer the question “Why should I buy from you?”.
Saying “our price is better than anywhere else” is not the correct answer. “Because we are special” is a better answer. The buyer buys YOU before the product or service. Price doesn’t matter as much if he believes you’re offering more value than the competition.
19.Be dynamic
Are you a great speaker? Can you turn an ordinary speech into an effective performance? A good salesperson can answer “yes” to these questions.
Learning to give a great speech takes hard work, practice, and love. To deliver a powerful speech, you must know the topic well, believe in your words, and provide useful, up-to-date, and valuable information.
20.Attract, engage and connect people
In addition to online methods, use traditional methods such as seminars, parties, professional forums and face-to-face networking. Social media is the new version of the phone call which was popular in the past.
Be active on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Write a blog. Create and distribute a weekly e-zine.
21.Earn without asking
Buyers don’t buy because you asked them to or lectured them. Instead, they buy because of what you say and do, because of your “certain differentiation” and because of your “certain value in products or services.”
Finalizing the sale does not have much effect on the sale, but the initiation is important. In other words, you sell more when you take control of the sales process, rather than just asking the customer to buy. To handle sales, you must be prepared, confident, credible, friendly, and interested.
21.5.Either love it or leave it
As a salesperson, do you love your job and the steps you need to take every day to be successful? If not, look for another job immediately. If you don’t love selling, you’ll never be happy, you’ll suffer, and you won’t make much money. Take a long and deep look at yourself and your desired lifestyle. If you find that sales is the right career for you, dedicate yourself to becoming the best salesperson you can be. Then do everything necessary to achieve this goal.
