With all the dumb laws on the books these days, you’d think they’d have one smart one for taking responsibility.
Wouldn’t it be cool if politicians weren’t allowed to blame anybody else and had to take full responsibility for their own actions and results?
Well, the same is true in sales.
I’m pretty sick of salespeople still telling me, “the guy said he wasn’t interested” and “the guy is happy with his present supplier” and “the guy won’t set an appointment with me” and, my all-time favorite, “the guy wouldn’t return my call.”
As you read those excuses, they seem kind of lame, don’t they? Wait! Are they lame? Or are they pathetic excuses for poor salesmanship, poor preparation, lack of ability to transfer a passionate message, lack of belief in your own product or company, lack of perceived value, inability to differentiate yourself from your competitor, and most important, lack of proof?
Whether you’re in politics or sales, the burden is the same: take responsibility for all that happens. And if it’s not happening in the best way possible, take responsibility to make it happen in a better way.
It’s funny how you can picture responsibility and blame in terms of a politician. I mean, come on! Can you imagine a politician saying, “The bill didn’t pass and it was all my fault.” Could you ever imagine that in your lifetime?
That’s why I want taking responsibility to be a law. If it was a law, everyone would be forced to tell the truth, admit their shortcomings, and go back into the battleground and return with a winning result. Politicians included.
Aren’t you sick of blaming? Aren’t you sick of politicians blaming each other ad nauseam for what the other guy didn’t do? Isn’t there a biblical phrase that begins, “Let he who was without sin cast the first stone”? I think if it were law, there would be a lot less stone casting, and a lot more people taking responsibility to make something happen.
Let’s get back to the objection of not getting your call returned. When I hear a salesperson say, “The guy wouldn’t return my call,” I really want to punch somebody in the face (gently, of course).
Let’s take a look at the real reasons someone won’t return your call to help you understand the difference between blaming and taking responsibility:
1. The message you left had no value.
2. The customer has no intention of buying from you and just doesn’t want to tell you.
3. The customer is not ready to buy yet and was too busy with their stuff to deal with you and your stuff.
4. The customer does not consider you a value provider, and is out there looking for one.
5. The customer does not perceive you as being genuine.
6. You are unaware of the customer’s motive to buy, and as a result have a hard time perceiving what their urgency is. Better stated: you don’t know why or when they intend to purchase.
7. The customer is still shopping.
8. You failed to connect emotionally or intellectually with the customer, and they would rather not do business with you.
9. You failed to offer enough proof to eliminate risk and create peace of mind.
9.5 The customer has decided to buy from someone else and feels no sense of obligation to inform you of their decision.
Those are accurate descriptions of some of the real reasons why. “The guy would not return my call” is not a problem. It’s a symptom. “Why” the guy would not return my call is the issue. If I can find out why, and correct it, then more if not all of my calls will begin to be returned.
Wow! What a concept.
Here are three new ways of thinking:
• I’m going to uncover my customer’s intentions and motives for purchase.
• I’m going to share with him or her how they produce more and profit more after purchase.
• I’m going to bring in several of our existing customers who will do video testimonials to corroborate my claims.
A “taking responsibility” law could revolutionize this country. Can you imagine a politician actually having to tell the truth instead of blaming something or someone else?
For the past 100 years, it’s been the same sales. Salespeople and sales trainers conveniently called reasons for not buying, or not communicating, “objections,” thereby shifting the blame to the customer.
HERE’S THE REALITY: There are no objections.
There are barriers. There are symptoms. There are circumstances. But there are no objections. And all of those barriers, symptoms, and circumstances would disappear if the salesperson takes responsibility, studies the outcome, and implements a better way.
Or you can just blame and whine.
Like a politician.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books including The Sales Bible and The Little Red Book of Selling. His forthcoming book, 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling, will be available Sept. 3 and will feature a national public seminar tour. Get the details at www.gitomer.com. It will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at salesman@gitomer.com.
