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Are you passive, aggressive, or assertive? Only one way wins.

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The answer is ‘assertive.’ It’s the best strategy for engaging, establishing control, proving value, creating a buying atmosphere, and forging a relationship.

I define assertiveness as a state of mind and a state of preparation PRIOR to implementation in a sales call.

CAUTION: This writing assumes (a bad thought process in sales) you have both read and mastered last week’s part one. If you haven’t, you can find it here or by entering the words ASSERTIVE SELLING in the GitBit box at www.gitomer.com. You must read, understand, and put those concepts into practice BEFORE part two can take shape.

The two remaining parts of assertiveness are:

  1. The sales presentation itself.
  2. The follow-up to the sales call.

Interesting that the sales call, the actual presentation, does not require the same amount of assertiveness as the sales follow-up. It’s way more difficult to re-engage a prospect and chase down a decision.

However, if you’re a great salesperson, an assertive salesperson, follow-up may not be necessary because you have asserted your way to the sale during the presentation.

THE PRESENTATION: When you get in front of a prospective customer, it is imperative that you look impressive and sound impressive. You know the old saying, “You never have a second chance to make a first impression.” You must start in a positive position in order to create a positive outcome.

Assertiveness begins with your eye contact, smile, and handshake. These actions establish you in the mind of the prospect as a person who is both self-assured and happy.

You take a relaxed seat. You accept anything that is offered to you in the way of water or coffee. You put yourself in the lean-forward position. Any tools or equipment you need to make your presentation are in front of you and ready to go. And you immediately begin by discussing anything other than your business and their business.

You begin the business of making friends. You begin the business of creating mutual smiles. You begin talking about them in a way that lets them know you’ve done your preparation and your homework. At any moment you can begin to discuss their needs, however you prefer to discuss their family or their personal interests first.

The segue from rapport building to business discussion requires an assertive thought process. There’s no formula, but there is a feeling. The salesperson’s responsibility is to feel when it’s right to move forward, and then have the assertive courage to do it.

Assertive presentations start with questions, offer unchallengeable proof in the middle, and end with a customer commitment that you have earned.

BEWARE and BE AWARE: Whoever you’re calling on wants to know what’s new and what the trends are in THEIR business. If you are able to deliver those during your presentation, I guarantee you’ll develop a value-based relationship, and have the full attention of the buyer.

Harnessing the power of ‘assertive’ in a sales presentation:

The assertive presentation challenges you, the salesperson, to bring forth a combination of your knowledge as it relates to their needs as well as a durability to connect both verbally and non-verbally with the person or the group you’re addressing.

You’ll know your assertive strategy is working when the customer or the prospective customer begins asking questions to get a deeper understanding about your product or service. This changes monologue to dialogue but also creates the power of engagement, or should I say assertive engagement.

At some point you have to complete the transaction. This means either asking for the sale (an okay part of the assertive process), or using some secondary means to confirm the sale (like scheduling delivery or installation).

Commitment to the order is where the rubber meets the road. If you get the order, it means you’ve done an assertively great job. If you don’t get it, it means you have to lapse into assertive follow-up mode. Here’s how…

THE FOLLOW UP: Assertive follow-up will become permissible if asked for, and agreed upon, in advance.

Here’s how: “Mr. Jones, what’s the best way for me to stay in touch with you?” “What’s your preferred method of communication?” “Is there anyone else I should ‘cc’ in our communications?” “May I send you an occasional text?”

These are permission-based questions that tell you where you are in the relationship. If you get a cell phone number and you’re permitted to send an occasional text, it means your relationship has reached a solid position.

WHERE’S THE VALUE? If I ask for a ‘follow-up’ appointment, I’ll no doubt get some vague runaround. BUT if I offer to come back with some valuable information about his or her business or job function, I’m certain to be granted that appointment.

The dialogue might go something like this, “Mr. Jones, I visit 30 or 40 businesses a month. During those visits I don’t just sell, I observe. Each month I list two or three ‘best practices.’ In my follow-up with you, I’ll need five minutes to share those practices each month. Is that fair enough?”

Heck yes! That’s fair enough. Your offer to help the customer with his or her business, and his or her job function, will not just endear you, it will also create the basis of a solid relationship. A value-based relationship. One where assertiveness is actually acceptable.

The ultimate goal beyond a sale is a trusted relationship with your customer. The path to secure that relationship begins with mastering the principles of assertiveness and then putting them into practice.

The by-product is more sales.

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].

Pushy, aggressive, obnoxious, assertive, or professional. Which are you?

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Sales reps get a bad rap for trying to sell too hard.

You’ve heard the term “pushy salesman” or “aggressive salesperson” or even “obnoxious salesman.” How do those phrases make you feel?

And salespeople go to great lengths NOT to be perceived as pushy, or aggressive, or obnoxious – so they (maybe you) go to the opposite end of the spectrum and try to be or be known as professional.

BEWARE and BE AWARE: A professional sales call is okay, but boring. Professional meetings typically have no outcome. Or worse, they result in never-ending follow-up, void of sales. Not good. Here’s a good way to think about professionalism: your customer must perceive you as a professional person. It’s more of a look on your part, and a perception on the part of the customer. In today’s world of selling, professionalism is a given. Your words, actions, and deeds take over from there.

Professionalism is not bad, but professionalism alone will not net sales.

MAJOR AHA! Between pushy, aggressive, obnoxious, and professional lies a middle ground – a ground where sales are made. It’s known as assertive.

CAUTION: Assertiveness is not a word – it’s a strategy and a style. It’s not just “a way in which you conduct yourself.” Rather, it’s a full-blown strategy that has elements to master way before assertiveness can begin and be accepted as a style of selling.

BEWARE and BE AWARE: Assertiveness is a GOOD style of selling as long as you understand, and have mastered, the elements that make “assertive” acceptable on the part of the customer.
WHERE DOES ASSERTIVENESS COME FROM?

  • The root of assertiveness is belief. Your belief in what you do, your belief in who you represent, your belief in the products and services that you sell, your belief in yourself, your belief that you can differentiate yourself from your competitor (not compare yourself to), and your firm belief that the customer is better off having purchased from you. These are not things you believe in your head. Rather, these are things you must believe in your heart. Deep belief is the first step in creating an assertive process. Until you believe, mediocrity is the norm. Once you believe in your heart, all else is possible.
  • An Attitude of Positive Anticipation. In order to be assertive, positive attitude or YES! Attitude is not enough. You must possess an “Attitude of Positive Anticipation.” This means walking into any sales call with a degree of certainty that the outcome will be in your favor. It means having a spirit about you that is easily contagious – a spirit that your customer can catch, and buy.
  • Total preparation is the secret sauce of assertiveness. This must include customer-focused, pre-call planning as well as creating the objective, the proposed outcome, for a sales call. Most salespeople make the fatal mistake of preparing in terms of themselves (product knowledge, literature,business cards, blah, blah). The reality of total preparation means preparing in terms of the customer FIRST. Their needs, their desires, and their anticipated positive outcomes – their win. If these elements are not an integral part of your preparation, you will lose to someone who has them.
  • The assertive equation must also contain undeniable value in favor of the customer. This is not just part of preparation, this is also part of the relationships you have built with other customers who are willing to testify on your behalf, and other proof that you have (hopefully in video format) that a prospective customer can relate to, believe in, and purchase as a result of.

REALITY: It’s not about changing your beliefs, it’s about strengthening your beliefs. It’s not about changing your attitude, it’s about building your attitude. It’s not about changing your preparation, it’s about intensifying your preparation. It’s not about adding value, it’s about delivering perceived value.

BIGGER REALITY: When you have mastered belief, attitude, preparation, and value as I have just defined them, then and only then, can assertiveness and assertive selling begin to take place.

BIGGEST REALITY: Incremental growth in belief, attitude, preparation, and value offered will lead to assertive sales calls and an increase in sales.

YOUR STATURE IS THE GLUE: Your professional look, your quiet self-confidence, your surety of knowledge andinformation that can help your customer, your past history of success, your possession of undeniable proof, and your assertive ability to ask your customers to beresponsible to their customers and their employees. (Responsibility is an acceptable (and assertive) form of accountability). No customer wants to be accountable to a sales rep – but EVERY customer has a MISSION to be responsible to his or her customers and co-workers.

When you combine your belief, your attitude, your preparation, your value, and your assertiveness, the outcome is predictable: It’s more sales.

Next week is all about the assertive sales call. Get ready.

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].

What’s the sincerity level of your message?

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When someone tells me to “Have a nice day,” I don’t think they mean it. I think they’re just saying it as a kind of mundane, almost impolite, form of politeness. Forced nicety. Said out of habit, not sincerity. To me, it’s not just thoughtless, it’s also meaningless. Heck, half the time people don’t even look at you when they say it.

Oh, they don’t mean it as an insult. People say, “Have a nice day,” because they don’t know what else to say. Or don’t care what they say. Or they are trained to say it.

But think about it. Do they only mean THAT day? Do they want me to have a crappy tomorrow? Or they will go so far as to say, “Have a good rest of the week.” What does that mean, I’m going to have a horrible weekend? Or month? Or year? Or life?

If you are going to say something to me, or your customer, make it sincere, make it meaningful, and make it relevant. Otherwise, I mentally check you off – the same way you check people off. And the question here is, are you being checked off?

Consistency of message and expression is important – but NOT ROBOTIC.
Give people leeway to be human.

Boring and insincere typically has a way of permeating everything else in a company. The color of your logo.

  • The politically correctness of your slide show.
  • The stuffiness of your business card.
  • The boringness of your job title.

Who cares? ONLY YOU! (Your marketing people, your ad agency, yada, yada) Anyone preparing “boring” marketing tools in this day and age should be forced to take that crap out on a sales call and see how CUSTOMERS perceive it or care ten cents about it.

The key word is SINCERITY.
The secondary word is DIFFERENTIATION.

Here are some GOLDEN opportunities to be creatively sincere:

  • At the fast food window
  • When customers walk in your store
  • When customers pay for something
  • When customers board the plane
  • When customers are about to order in a restaurant
  • When customers are sent an invoice

These are all opportunities to prove differentiation, be sincere, and even WOW the customer.

  • Marketing and HR people: Get off your corporate hobby horse and saddle up your creative brain!
  • Employees: You’re an individual, not some kind of automated answering device. (Don’t get me started. Reality, if my call is so darn important, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, don’t tell me about it.) Use your friendliness and creativity to craft a message that the customer perceives as real.

FORCED CORPORATE POLITENESS: I love it when service reps or managers candidly you’re your piece, the other person is clearly wrong, won’t admit it, but are under corporate edict to be polite, but you know they hate you, and their life when they tersely ask, “Will there be anything else?” Makes me smile and feel sad all at once.

Southwest Airlines is anything but politically correct. Their people are happy, their customers are happy, their message is clear, and they make a TON of money. Jeez, I wonder if there’s a correlation!

What about you? How sincere are you?

Here are 4 things you can do tomorrow without anyone’s permission:

  • Look me in the eye. Make sure there’s a locked-in moment
  • Say something slightly different. “You’re all set.” vs. “Thanks for your business.”
  • Shake my hand like you mean it. Firm, with eye contact.
  • Smile. When you smile, it makes others smile.

IDEA: Make a goal to create 12 smiles a day through your words, actions or deeds. Creativity and sincerity will automatically materialize.

Have a nice day!

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].

Words to live by for the next 12 months. What are yours?

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I am sick of reading claims hyping me to, “have my best year ever.” FYI: The trend of “best year ever” was originated more than a decade ago by the late, great Jim Rohn. His seminars were earth shattering and life changing – and it has inspired many, albeit lesser, duplicators.

Rohn’s seminars should have been titled: “Have your best LIFE ever.”

What about your needs and desires this year?
Let me ask you a few questions about where you’re intending and hoping to do:

  • How are you expecting this year to be for you?
  • What are your immediate (within 30 days) goals?
  • What are your present hopes and dreams? (They have a way of changing over the years. Some dream of marriage – others dream of divorce.)
  • What are your genuine intentions to make your goals, hopes, and dreams a reality?
  • What’s your game plan to ensure success?

SUCCESS CONCEPT: What three or four words, and associated actions, could you come up with as a guiding light to help you stay focused and on track to get you there? Not to have “your best year ever,” rather, have a great year. A fulfilling year. A profitable year. A healthy year. A happy year. A year of wander, wonder, and fun.

Many people, like my almost sister-in-law, and blogger extraordinaire, Ali Edwards (www.aliedwards.com), pick one word to focus on for the entire year. Her word this year is “open.” She focuses blog posts and actions around the word. The process works.

I believe that picking a few meaningful words that apply to your vision will help you take DIRECTED actions. Words you can post in plain sight that will keep you in the groove of daily achievement. Key words that you burn into your psyche so that your goals become your driving force. Not just words on a paper, rather beacons of understanding, determination, and intentions. Ever-mindful, laser-focused, bright light.

Here are my 3.5 words for 2013 – I hope they inspire you to think about and select yours:

1. Write

Write every day. Tweet every day. Post every day. I have been writing almost every day for the past 21 years. Why should I let up now? This year I will publish at least two e-books and one major hardbound book (also available on kindle and iBook). I will write 52 new weekly columns, and post a variety of new ideas and thoughts both in text and in video. I selected the word write for 2.5 basic reasons:

1. It has been and continues to be the core of my success. Every penny I have earned since March 23, 1992 (when my first column appeared in print), I can trace back to something I wrote. Writing has provided me with both purpose and process, both discipline and drive, both achievement and attraction, both success and fulfillment, and both lessons and legacy.
2. Writing is the one thing I have encouraged every reader and seminar attendee to do for the past decade. Writing will help establish you both in brand and in reputation.
2.5 One innovation helping me significantly is Dragon Dictate for Mac. I’m using it right now. It’s not just amazing; it’s also a miracle. I’m increasing my speed of writing productivity by more than 50%, while still maintaining perfect thought flow and expression. NOTE: The end of the keyboard is not upon us, but it is clearly within sight.

2. Finish

Finish what I start. I have more projects and opportunities than I can say grace over. I intend to see each one through to fruition (not just completion).

In my experience, there are very few things more frustrating than the mental nag of a project undone. I’m speaking for myself, andchallenging myself, at the same time I’m speaking to you and challenging you.

Finish what you start. It sounds so simple, yet time seems to fly away during the course of a day, a week, a month, or a year.

The process I try to employ is that of “time allocation.” Rather than manage my time (something I have always found both impossible and improbable), I will allocate 30-minute time segments to projects and tasks in order to ensure I have allotted time for completion.

3. Shape

This is by far my most difficult word. It has several connotations.

1. Get in shape: This year for sure (even though I said that least year, and the year before). There’s a fundamental link between physical well being and mental freedom to create. My intention this year is to put them in balance and harmony.
2. Shape up: There are several aspects of business and life that need shaping and re-shaping. They range from organization to money to personal skills to relationships to sales.
3. Shape the future. My age now demands I make plans that include me and exclude me. Succession is not just a word or a plan, it’s also a reality.

These are three huge elements in leadership, life, and quality of living. I’m taking personal responsibility for both actions and outcomes.

3.5 YES!

YES! is the ultimate attitude word, thought, reaction, response, expression of joy, expression of achievement, and recovery. It’s dedication to positive thought, expression, transference of message, and resilience. YES! must envelop all thoughts at all times in order to focus on the positive side of “what if?”

NOTE: I have posted my words for the year on my bathroom mirror. This way I face them twice a day. Post yours.

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].

Recommended Resources – Little Black Book of Connections

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Little Black Book of Connections: 6.5 Assets for Networking Your Way to Rich Relationships
by Jeffrey Gitomer

About the Book

Little Black Book of Connections by Jeffrey Gitomer provides practical, step-by-step methods for connecting with others in a wide variety of different roles including:

  • Superiors
  • Mentors
  • Co-workers
  • Customers
  • Vendors
  • Family and friends

As with his other books and numerous articles, Jeffrey addresses each communication challenge with a concise list of immediately implementable actions augmented by insightful tips for further improving individual performance.

Benefits of Using this Book

Connecting with others is the foundation of individual success. Without personal connections, we are unable to positively engage and influence those around us in a way that propels us to the achievement of our personal and professional goals.

StrategyDriven Contributors like the Little Black Book of Connections for its immediately actionable advice for creating meaningful relationships with others in a way that positively engages them to support the communicator. We’ve implemented many of the recommendations Jeffrey presents in his book to great success.

Jeffrey’s principles for connecting with others promote respectful engagement. Recommendations contained within the Little Black Book of Connections focus on positive relationship building through the offering of open, honest communications and meaningful value provision by the communicator.

Little Black Book of Connections provides immediately actionable methods for effectively engaging others in a positive, respectful manner making it a StrategyDriven recommended read.