My Six Selling Mantras

Mantra – a word or phrase that is repeated often or that expresses someone’s basic beliefs – The Britannica Dictionary – The following are the six simple business (selling) rules that I live by …

You must be perceived as being different …

It’s crowded out there. Regardless of what business you are in, you have competitors who are angling to eat your piece of the pie. If you want to stand out from the pack, you must be perceived as being different from the rest.

I once asked a friend, a successful commercial realtor, what separated him from his competition? His answer … “I return phone calls.” That might give you a chuckle, but it effectively demonstrates just how easy this is.

I could provide an extensive list, but it’s actually much more simple. As a customer, what do you admire most about salespeople who you have had the pleasure of working with and which abysmal behaviors have been exhibited by those who were not? Replicate the good and avoid the bad.

Closing is overrated …

I’ve been around long enough to know that a salesperson’s inability to secure business is rarely tied to their inability to close the sale because … the close is the natural culmination of a sale done well.

In other words, they were unable to effectively perform other critical aspects of a proven sales process. They don’t listen. They didn’t qualify. They never built a relationship. They were not perceived as … being different. Or, maybe they were different. They exhibited bad behaviors. Ouch!

Exceeding expectations is the only acceptable outcome …

Not meeting customer expectations … say buh bye. Meeting customer expectations … you may have made the sale but you did not make a customer. Exceeding customer expectations … say hello to repeat business and referrals.

The key to being able to do this lies in managing customer expectations. This includes letting them know what and when whatever will happen next. If you don’t do this, they will set their own expectations, probably not let you know what they are, and this will never be good for you.

Educate more, sell less …

I’ve always prided myself on solid product knowledge. Even better, I love to share that with clients and … most folks that I worked with during my 45 plus years of B2B sales experience have had very little knowledge of what they are thinking about buying. It’s a win win for both of us!

Know when to hold them, know when to fold them …

I’m pretty good at identifying, early on, whether or not this is my kinda’ deal. If the customer is solely driven by the lowest price … later. If they are not willing to meet with me in some fashion .. goodbye. I may have walked away from some deals that I might have ultimately won, but I felt good about my decision regardless. I didn’t have to take a shower afterwards.

The worst feeling in sales isn’t losing …

It’s knowing that if you had done more, or done things differently, you might have won. I hate losing maybe even more than I like winning. The only way that I can stomach a loss is if I can look at myself in the mirror and say … “Craig, you gave it your all. You did everything you could to secure this sale, but today was just not your day.”

Are you thinking about a CRM? If you would like to explore whether or not Nimble CRM might be right for you, please book a free 30-minute Zoom consultation with me by going to my calendar.

To learn more about our Nimble training and implementation services, please visit our Nimble CRM training services page. Thank you!

Or are you considering leveraging AI for more effective LinkedIn prospecting, or perhaps using advanced marketing in your business, or are you looking at improving your managed I.T. services including security, workflow, and telephony? With so many people talking about these things, it’s tough to figure out who to talk to.

My area of expertise is Nimble CRM (specifically sales), however, I would be happy to connect you to an AI, managed services, or marketing professional who I know and trust. Please reach out to me at craig@adaptive-business.com for an introduction!

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Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services

Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!