“PEOPLE ARE MORE APT TO BELIEVE YOU WHEN THEY SEE A CONGRUENCE BETWEEN WHAT YOU SAY AND WHO YOU ARE.”
Integrity Selling: How to Succeed in Selling in the Competitive Years Ahead— by Ron Willingham, page 99.
For years, sales professionals had a reputation of saying what their prospects wanted to hear, and then resorting back to business as usual. Politicians have honed this skill to perfection.
The sad truth is that this poor reputation has been earned over the years. That is why most people new to this, or any other industry, do not cozy up to the notion of “selling.” Salespeople cannot be trusted. Salespeople have their own agenda. Salespeople talk too much and listen far too little. Salespeople disappear as soon as the sale is made. You are a salesperson. How does this make you feel?
Buyers are not stupid. They are very familiar with salespeople and how they operate chasing their quotas and trying every trick in the book to
- Overcome objections,
- Upsell their products, and
- Close every deal they can for the most profit.
But you are not like this. You are a good, honest, hard working, caring person whose only goal is to help people make better buying decisions when it comes to travel. The fastest and most reliable way to position yourself as the good person you are is to “walk your talk.” Be real. Show your prospects and clients a congruence between what you say and who you are.
Mike Marchev is always looking for a few more proactive travel professionals to join his Sales and Marketing Club. Send for details.
