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Check out the "Sales Misfits" Blog.

Dear Colleague,

I hope the end of 2005 finds you healthy, wealthy and much wiser than when you started in January. I have had an excellent year on all fronts…professionally and personally. But let’s get back to you.

As a way to conclude my 2005 e-zine series, I thought I would pose a question to you. It is something that has been rolling around in my brain for months now.

Are you a misfit of selling? Do you have a motley approach to your sales success?

I should give you a little background.

As I have traveled across the country this year teaching my sales and sales motivation programs, I have observed something very interesting about the most successful sales people that have been in my audiences. They are unconventional. They are uncanny in their sales approach. They possess a multifarious attitude to their selling career. In other words, they just flat out don’t do anything in a conventional or traditional way.

Here is an example. One fellow from Texas always tells his prospects that they simply could not afford what he is worth. After a few brief rapport building comments, he literally starts his presentation by saying, “I am a billionaire and I don’t need to be here. I have everything I need in life.” He is a very distinguished looking gentleman in his early seventies and he says this with all honesty and trustworthiness. When I initially heard this approach I was more curious than you are right now. There was not an ounce of arrogance about him. Yet, how could he get away with such a comment?

As he explained to me his approach, it became quite clear that he wanted to demonstrate to his clients what was really important to him…his family. He is the father of eight and grandfather to thirteen. In his view, his family was figuratively worth billions of dollars, making him a billionaire. Time after time, he took the opportunity to explain this to his customers. Once they knew why he made the statement about being a billionaire, the walls of buyer distrust came down and clients opened up their “buying minds” to this gentleman.

A woman who attended one of my seminars in Indiana discovered that her exceptional success in the new home sales business came as a result of her extensive experience in retail department store sales. For many years she worked at high end retail establishments like Nordstrom’s, Neiman Marcus and FAO Schwartz. When she converted to selling new homes, she continued to use some of her selling strategies from her retail experience.

While telling me of her sales success I couldn’t help but notice that she was impeccably dressed. I gathered she must have taken advantage of her associate status at those department stores to acquire a nice wardrobe. She frequently used the retail sales approach line, “Welcome to our model home. My name is… Feel free to look around. If you need anything, I will be right over there.” And then she left the prospect alone to acclimate to the new model home environment. No pressure and no vulture mentality. She later disclosed to me that she had been to several sales training programs for new home sales professionals and none of the approach strategies seemed to fit her personality. So she integrated the retail approach to her new profession with great success.

These two individuals, along with many others that I have interviewed were misfits of selling. A misfit is one who just simply does things a little differently. They do not fit into the norm. Their approach is different enough to cause their prospect or customer to be slightly surprised or caught off guard.

Here are five key points to consider if you want to increase your sales in 2006 by being a Misfit Of Selling.

1. Question everything. If you have been to all of the sales seminars, read all of the traditional sales books and learned all of the conventional sales wisdom, I have something to ask you…“How is that working out for you?” If you are satisfied with your sales results and you don’t think there is much room for improvement then you may not need to question everything. However, if you want more sales success, begin to question everything about the conventional wisdom of selling. Today’s customers are savvier than ever. They know a sales geek the moment he/she opens with, “How may I help you today?”

2. Be smart. If today’s consumer is savvy, then today’s sales professional must have a knowledge base that is beyond savvy. What do you do to keep yourself informed and updated on the latest and greatest stuff in your industry? What is your knowledge acquisition plan? Who will you turn to in 2006 to get more knowledge, more information, more mentoring, more networking, and savvier? The interesting twist is that you don’t really have to know every detail about your product or industry. However, you must know where to get the answers. You must have the resources to be a resource to your customer.

3. Have 20/20 vision. If you are committed to the selling profession, or any profession for that matter, then your vision of success must be clear. It must be clear to you and to your customers. That means you have to make a commitment to success, and your commitment to success means that you know exactly what you want in terms of measurable results. How many sales do you want to make in 2006? How many prospects will you have to see to accomplish that? How many leads will you need to get your desired number of prospects? How many referrals will you need to get those prospects? How will you make yourself memorable in the mind of those prospects in order to convert them to customers? If you aim at an unknown target, you will certainly hit it.

4. Be unpredictable. If you do or say the same thing that every other sales person in your industry says and does, then you can expect their results. If, on the other hand, you say and do things that are not expected, you will get unexpected results. Ever heard of Dennis Rodman? Madonna? Eminem? Elvis? Howard Stern? Rush Limbaugh? The list can go on. You get the point. In order to make a difference you have to be different. This doesn’t mean that you have to be Charles Manson different. You just need to be different from the pack. It shows up in little things like the way you dress, your language, your demeanor, your knowledge base and your willingness to help your clients.

5. Reveal YOU. Is the sales system that you are using a genuine reflection of you and your values? Does it really reveal you? If you have a type “A”, pugnacious personality and you like to get in people’s face and let them know right away what a great deal you have and that is working for you, then more power to you. On the other hand, if you are extremely curious about people and what makes them tick, what are you doing to foster that side of your personality? If you are a comedian, a poet, a lyricists, an artist, a philosopher, a sports fanatic, a spiritualist, a health nut, an athlete, a problem solver, a crossword puzzle master or whatever, what are you doing to let your customer see the real you? Authenticity sells more than any scripted sales speak. Michael Jordon said, “Authenticity is about being true to who you are, even when everyone else wants you to be someone else.”

I have started a new Web Blog called, "Sales Misfits". You can access it here http://paulmontelongo.blogspot.com/ and submit your examples of how you sell in unconventional ways. If you consider yourself a misfit of selling, then feel free to commune with other misfits.

My family and I wish to thank you all very much for your support and friendship this past year. I certainly hope that you and your family enjoy your end of the year festivities and that you are all safe and happy. Until next time,

Take great care,

Hear Paul with the audio version of this E-Zine.

Check out the "Sales Misfits" Blog.

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