Facts Tell But Stories Sell (Wisdom Point) Coach100k

How often do you talk prospects into buying things they don't want? Probably not very often. How often do you talk prospects out of buying things they do want? Probably more often than you realize!

Salespeople have a great deal to talk about: the features and associated benefits of the product or service, as well as the advantages of buying from their company. All of which is fully documented in advertising literature and marketing materials.

Who cares?

The salesperson cares. The marketing department cares. The advertising agency cares. But, does the prospect care? The salesperson doesn't know. He's been too busy delivering his sales monologue. Overloaded with information to consider—some of which may have nothing to do with the reasons the prospect would buy the product or service—the prospect has little alternative than to "think-it-over" or perhaps seek out another salesperson who will at least listen to what she has to say.

The salesperson's objective should be to find out why, and under what circumstances, the prospect would buy the product or service from him. That requires a dialogue, not a monologue. The salesperson must ask question to elicit the prospect's interests, concerns, and expectations.

During your next initial interaction with a prospect, withhold your product knowledge and unique selling points. Instead, start with a question to uncover the prospect's mindset regarding the acquisition of your product or service. Here is an example for a company that provides overseas shipping services.

"I suspect you have some specific concerns about your overseas shipments. Why don't you tell me what they are and then I'll do my best to address them?"

Once the prospect reveals his concerns or interests, you can ask additional questions about their significance. The more questions you ask, the more the prospect talks, and the more you will learn about potential opportunities and how to favorably position your product or service.

Achieving Your Dreams by Jim Rohn

While most people spend most of their lives struggling to earn a living, a much smaller number seem to have everything going their way. Instead of just earning a living, the smaller group is busily working at building and enjoying a fortune. Everything just seems to work out for them. And here sits the much larger group, wondering how life can be so unfair, so complicated and unjust. What’s the major difference between the little group with so much and the larger group with so little?

Despite all of the factors that affect our lives—like the kind of parents we have, the schools we attended, the part of the country we grew up in—none has as much potential power for affecting our futures as our ability to dream.

Dreams are a projection of the kind of life you want to lead. Dreams can drive you. Dreams can make you skip over obstacles. When you allow your dreams to pull you, they unleash a creative force that can overpower any obstacle in your path. To unleash this power, though, your dreams must be well defined. A fuzzy future has little pulling power. Well-defined dreams are not fuzzy. Wishes are fuzzy. To really achieve your dreams, to really have your future plans pull you forward, your dreams must be vivid.

If you've ever hiked a 14,000-foot peak in the Rocky Mountains, one thought has surely come to mind: “How did the settlers of this country do it?” How did they get from the East Coast to the West Coast? Carrying one day’s supply of food and water is hard enough. Can you imagine hauling all of your worldly goods with you... mile after mile, day after day, month after month? These people had big dreams. They had AMBITION. They didn't focus on the hardship of getting up the mountain.

In their minds, they were already on the other side–their bodies just hadn't gotten them there yet! Despite all of their pains and struggles, all of the births and deaths along the way, those who made it to the other side had a single vision: to reach the land of continuous sunshine and extraordinary wealth. To start over where anything and everything was possible. Their dreams were stronger than the obstacles in their way.

You've got to be a dreamer. You've got to envision the future. You've got to see California while you’re climbing 14,000-foot peaks. You've got to see the finish line while you’re running the race. You've got to hear the cheers when you’re in the middle of building your Ambit Business. And you've got to be willing to put yourself through the paces of doing the uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable. Because that’s how you realize your dreams.

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress." - Coach 100K

Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.