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January 11th, 2023
There have been a lot of advances in the science of selling, but none as important as the one discovered in the late 70’s by a man I greatly admire. In this Pocket Sized Pep Talk, I’ll tell you a story about how even your host Rob can be a bit overwhelmed when he finally had his chance to meet one of his hero’s in selling!
Rob Jolles (00:01):
There’ve been a lot of advances in the science of selling, but none as important as the one discovered in the late seventies by a man I greatly admire. Let’s have ourselves in pockets. He pep talk and I’ll tell you a story about how even Rob can be a bit overwhelmed when he finally had his chance to meet one of his heroes in selling
Intro (00:26):
A pocket-sized pep talk, the podcast that can help energize your business and your life with a quick inspiring message. Now, here’s your host, Rob Jolles.
Rob Jolles (00:38):
I’m a pretty lucky person. I’m shaking the hands to some pretty impressive people in my lifetime, amongst others have shaken the hands of three of the past four presidents. Recently, I was able to shake hands and spend a few moments talking with the man in selling. I’m referring to Neil Rackham from my readers who know a thing or two about sales. I’m sure you know who this man is. For those who don’t know the man, let me tell you why. Spending a few minutes with Neil meant so much to me for as long as I can remember. There was one basic philosophy in the world of sales people by based on needs. It was not complicated and it was not challenged. Those five words became the backbone of every sales process and the mantra of every salesperson. Armed with those five words, Allegion of salespeople took to the streets in search of clients’ needs, people by based on needs.
(01:47)
Those five words effortlessly led us to another simple conclusion. Find out what people need and offer a solution that addresses those needs. Once again, this was not complicated and this was not challenged. The concept was even nicknamed needs-based Selling, and it was written about by authors and taught by trainers. There was only one small problem. It was a flawed perception. Those five words and the techniques designed to support them created an industry of order takers. I say this because once people actually know what it is they need, the only need they have is for someone to take the order that they’re presenting. That’s exactly how I was initially taught to sell. When I sold life insurance, I was told this, go find people who need insurance and then take care of those needs. Even when I sold a policy, the first thing I asked my clients was, do you know of anyone else who might need insurance?
(03:02)
But then came Neil Rackham. He didn’t fit the mold of any other sales author I ever heard of. He did not possess a wealth of selling experience, nor did he look like a salesperson. As a matter of fact, he looked more like a psychologist, which is exactly who he was. What’s more he disregarded what had been said previously about sales and he acted like a psychologist. He dedicated himself to the study of human behavior. As a result, he gave us the greatest gift our industry has ever received by changing one word in a flawed perception. People by based on problems. By proving this through research and showing us that a salesperson’s real job was to uncover these problems and dig deeper into these problems, we learned to help clients fix these problems before they became big problems. In 1994, I devoured Neil’s book called Spin Selling.
(04:12)
I utilized the process when I sold. I taught Spin to new hires for Xerox. I certified other trainers to do the same. It became the backbone of how I sold and what I write about and what I believe in. Recently, I was asked to give a keynote presentation at awards banquet and Neil was there to present a couple awards himself before the event began. We had a cup of coffee together and I was given the opportunity to do three things. First, I was given the chance to thank him for all he had done for me, both personally and profession. Second, I was able to thank him for what he had done, not just for salespeople, but for clients who desperately need the salespeople to help them overcome their fear of change. That recipe for change is found in this psychologist’s research, which taught us to not focus on needs but problems. And finally, I was given the opportunity to shake his hand and take a picture with the man. It was a very good day.
Outro (05:24):
Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoyed today’s show, please rate and recommended it on iTunes, outcasts, wherever you get your podcast. You can also get more information on this show and rob@jolles.com.