There are many sayings that rush into mind as I’m crafting this article:
“Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.”
“Anyone can make money in a bull market!”
And to build this short list, I’d like to offer a third:
“Anyone can teach selling skills in a good economy.”
I say this because when the economy is growing, money and credit are abundant. Buyers are in a good mood, with the discretion to invest and to spend. Monetary mistakes are forgiven or quickly forgotten, because “There’s more where that came from.”
When times are lush, typically people aren’t hired to be order-makers, but instead to serve as order-takers, and there is a huge gulf between the two. Makers have to pick up the phone, for instance, and make cold calls.
Order-takers simply need to answer the lines when they ring off the hook and take orders.
Makers need to arouse needs and then satisfy them. Takers simply satisfy needs that buyers already feel they have.
If you’re training people in good times, you’re creating more efficient clerks, money-takers and bean counters. In harder times, you’re building teams of moneymakers, relatively speaking, much more aggressive or at least proactive, folks.
In great times we are led to believe by gurus that magical thinking will produce results, i.e. if we simply intend to receive money, we will. And when our mailboxes were filled with unsolicited credit card enticements, this actually seemed to be the case.
Money was manufactured for us out of thin air, in the form of seemingly limitless credit.
Now, in hard times we need intention, as well, but to earn, not to simply receive.
That is the difference, once more between “taking” orders and “making” them.
You may have heard of the idea called “permission marketing.” It is the apotheosis of good times and easy money. It says we should ASK people if they’d be interested in our proposals.
In hard times, this is nothing less than laughable, a sure invitation for a summary rejection of our offers.
I offer this Chinese saying for your consideration: “A person must wait a long time with an open mouth for a roast duck to fly in!”
If you teach selling skills, train your people to hunt instead of harvest, to actively pursue deals, instead of waiting for seeds to bloom. It is a surer path to a meal and to survival and prosperity in the most challenging times.
Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top speaker, sales, service, and negotiation consultant, attorney, TV and radio commentator and the best-selling author of 12 books. He conducts seminars and speaks at convention programs around the world. His new audio program is Nightingale-Conant’s “Crystal Clear Communication: How to Explain Anything Clearly in Speech & Writing.” His web site is:http://www.customersatisfaction.com and he can be contacted at gary@customersatisfaction.com. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/anyone-can-teach-selling-skills-in-a-good-economy-1605141.html
