It All Begins

Picture this, an 8 year old kid, standing in front of a bank on Saturday morning. (Why? You might ask…. Because that’s where the money is.)
Raffle Tickets in hand and asking every customer, “Hey Miss, Hey Mr., You want to buy a chance to change your life? You could win a $1000 and I’m pretty sure I have the winning ticket in here.”

I’m not kidding. That was me. After asking people for weeks if they wanted to support our baseball team, and getting only paltry sales, I thought I’d spice it up. I don’t know if those kind folks believed me, but it did stop them in their tracks. I was just a little less likely to get ignored. I came in 2nd place in sales that year in a league of 250+ other kids. The only kid that beat me was the son of Chicago Alderman. I didn’t have quite that kind of clout.

Since then I’ve been in love with sales and good salesmanship. I know, crazy thing to be in love with, right? But I can honestly tell you that there is little in life that has the ability to change people’s lives like a good salesperson can.

Before we continue though, I guess I should clarify…
everyone is a salesperson.

Yep, you heard that right. EVERYONE! The beggar on the street to the Wall Street Exec., the clerk at the store to the surgeon in the hospital. EVERYONE is selling something. But a GOOD salesperson makes people feel good. A GREAT salesperson can greatly alter the path of someone’s life forever.

Let me give you an example. I had a friend who was going in for heart surgery a few years back and had to meet with the cardiologist that was going to perform the surgery. This cardiologist was considered the best in the hospital, and probably the best in the state. But when he met my friend he was very frank and laid out all the risks and “worst case scenarios”.

My friend was terrified when he left the office and decided to get a second opinion. The next cardiologist was younger, not nearly as experienced, but had a whole different attitude. He asked my friend one simple question: “How would you like to see this surgery go?”

My friend, being the forever optimist said, “Well, I would like to see it go without a hitch. I would like to recover quickly and experience as little pain as possible. And…I’d like to live through it.” The cardiologist took notes on what my friend said and responded simply,

“And if all this happens you would consider it a success?”

“Well, yes, of course.”

“Great! We’ll see you in surgery prep tomorrow at 6am and you’ll be skipping out of here by Sunday.”

Which surgeon instilled confidence? Which surgeon listened to the patient? And which surgeon earned the business. If you aren’t saying surgeon two you are lying to yourself. Because when your life is on the line, you would go with the person with the higher confidence and someone who understands your fears.

My own mother was not one that believed me when I would tell her that everyone is a SALESPERSON. You see, she was a claim adjuster in an insurance company for a good 40 years. “I push files, I verify data, I process claims…I am NO SALESPERSON!” She would tell me. And I would just remind her that she sells her boss every day on the fact that she is the best person for the job. That with what they are paying her, no one else could do the job better.

I’d love to say she “bought” what I was selling, but I don’t think it ever quite sunk in.

So that is where this all begins folks. With a simple concept.

GREAT SALESPEOPLE can change the world!
and
YOU CAN BE A GREAT SALESPERSON! It is your duty to be a Great Salesperson! You owe it to the world!

And hopefully I can help you along the way. If you are looking for better ways to sell. More fun ways to sell. Then let me be your guide. Follow this feed for tips and updates on how to be better at EVERYTHING just by learning some sales skills. Get that RAISE, communicate better, negotiate better, be a better lover, raise more money, achieve more, and even SELL better.

Stay tuned for more fun…
- Your friend,
Michael J. Brankin