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StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 67 – An Interview with Jeffrey Gitomer, author of 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling

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StrategyDriven Podcast Special EditionStrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag articles on the StrategyDriven website.

Special Edition 67 – An Interview with Jeffrey Gitomer, author of 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling explores the actions anyone can take to achieve extraordinary selling success. During our discussion, Jeffrey Gitomer, author of 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling: Proven Actions You Must Take to Make Easier, Faster, Bigger Sales….Now and Forever, shares with us his immediately implementable insights and experiences regarding:

  • StrategyDriven Podcast Special Editionthe importance of personal and customer perception
  • why buying decisions are emotional and then justified logically
  • the importance of social media to the selling process
  • the power of video testimonials and how to get and record them
  • why selling should not be systematized

Additional Information

In addition to the outstanding insights Jeffrey shares in 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling and this special edition podcast are the resources accessible from his website, www.Gitomer.com. The entire collection of Jeffery’s books and webinars are now available at www.GitomerVT.com.   Jeffrey’s book, 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling, can be purchased by clicking here.

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About the Author

Jeffrey Gitomer, author of 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling: Proven Actions You Must Take to Make Easier, Faster, Bigger Sales… Now and Forever, is one of the most sought-after international and inspirational speakers in the world; having delivered thousands of corporate and public seminars to the largest national and multi-national corporations. His Little Red Book of Selling is the best-selling sales book of all time, appearing on national bestseller lists in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Business Week more than 300 times. Jeffrey is also a StrategyDriven Principal Contributor, sharing invaluable insights with us on sales, business, and leadership every Monday. To read Jeffrey’s complete biography, click here.

Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal, and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:52 — 42.6MB)

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What’s the difference? What’s the weakness?

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Question from a fan:

Hi Jeffrey, I just purchased your new book on the 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling. As usual, it’s full of amazing content. But as I read it, it generated three compelling questions I hope you can answer. Thanks, Brandon

1. What is the biggest difference between selling today and 10 years ago?
Three things have changed selling (and buying) forever – THE INTERNET, SMARTPHONES, and SOCIAL MEDIA. The Internet sells trillions annually, and it does it 24-7-365. Customers can investigate, shop price, compare prices and values, and buy with one click – anyplace in the world. Social media is the largest one-on-one sales reference on the planet, and like the Internet, it’s keeping business (and salespeople) honest. And it’s making smarter customers. Smartphones have created access. Ultimate and instant access. Apps are the new Internet. And the combination of these three elements has changed the face and manner of doing business – forever.

NOTE WELL: You can only SELL at your place – but customers can BUY anyplace in the world – any time of the day or night.

What has changed is that salespeople HAVE NOT CHANGED. No personal website, no personal brand, no social media interaction, and not taking advantage of smartphone technology.

ADVICE: Get heavily involved with the Internet. Make sure it serves your customers, not just your company. Get heavily involved in social media, and don’t just post – respond to comments, concerns, and praise. Use your smartphone to study your marketplace, transact business, and post on social media. ASK YOURSELF THIS: Is it easier to find and do business with you, or your competition? Got app? If not, invest whatever is needed in people and money to set and maintain a leadership position in all three areas.

2. Why “21.5” unbreakable laws and not more or fewer?
I started with more than 50 laws that I had written and compiled over the years, and after weeks of study and deliberation, I pared it down to 21.5 through combination and elimination. These are THE hard-and-fast laws of selling. They cannot be broken, unless you’re willing to lose sales. These laws form the foundation for your selling success and your personal success. CAUTION: They are NOT rules. They are LAWS. Rules can be bent or broken, but laws remain steadfastly the same. BIGGER CAUTION: Reading the laws once will not make you great – re-reading, studying, and implementing them day-by-day will.

3. What are the biggest mistakes salespeople make today?
I have interacted with hundreds of thousands of salespeople – that’s how my 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling came about.

During my continuing journey, I have seen 3.5 flaws that are common to all weak salespeople. Not necessarily “mistakes,” like asking the wrong questions. Rather, blunders and errors in judgment and thinking that causes failure…
1. Lack of belief in what they sell, who they represent, and in themselves. Lack of belief shows up in your presentation and is evident to the prospect. ADVICE: Visit customers who LOVE your product and have been loyal to you for years. Talk to them about WHY they have belief. It will strengthen yours.
2. Lack of love of what you do. If you have “hate” or have ‘no passion’ for or about what you do, you’ll never give it full effort, and you’ll always be looking for greener pastures. “They don’t pay me enough” will ALWAYS be your mantra. Your attitude will suffer more that your sales. (If that’s possible.) ADVICE: Find a job you love before you’re fired from the one you don’t.
3. Blaming everything and everyone for what goes wrong or what didn’t happen, rather that taking responsibility for what happened, and adding personal responsibility for making things happen.Seems so obvious, yet it’s one of the biggest missing elements of sales (and society). ADVICE: Responsibility starts in the bathroom mirror in the morning. Look, smile, and commit. Next, check your language. Negative talk is usually blame talk. Avoid it. Get a partner to stop you when you start. This is one of the biggest challenges in sales and life. CAUTION: The media is blame-ridden, and the more you expose yourself to it, the more you are likely to play the game yourself. Turn off the negativity. Turn on your life.
3.5 Weak resilience. Rejection occurs 74% more than acceptance. Salespeople, especially those forced to make cold calls, weaken and bow out way too soon.

There are many more mistakes made by salespeople – too many to list here for sure – BUT many sales shortcomings can be reduced or eliminated completely, simply by taking responsibility and purchasing the 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling – and putting the laws into action.

Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.

About the Author

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].