It's All About Business™

Last week I was talking shop with a fellow business coach (I’ll call him Bill). Bill told me about a sales seminar he did. When he finished the seminar, he asked his attendees what they thought. Their response was “I Don’t Get It.”

Bill couldn’t understand how attendees with the education levels of his attendees couldn’t “Get It.” I explained to Bill that I have had the same experience.

The problem is that they don’t get it because they can’t get it. And the reason they can’t get it is that they have never had any training or experience in sales.

Most people who graduate from college with degrees in management, marketing or business have never been exposed to sales. They don’t get any exposure to sales until they take courses for an MBA, if then.

Without experience or exposure to sales, no one can “get it.” We aren’t born knowing how to sell. Or what it means to sell.

I see this issue with new business owners. As Michael Gerber explains in his book E-Myth Revisited, most new business owners are technicians. They don’t understand that their job is to satisfy a want or need of their customers. They think that all they need to do is explain the features of their product or service and sales will magically follow.

I’m not saying anything negative about college graduates or new business owners. It’s just that we need to change our behavior. We need to face reality and understand that most of the people we meet won’t Get It. They won’t get it because they can’t get it.

Another example. A few years ago I was in a coaching session with Mark. Mark was venting his frustration(s) to me. Mark’s wife, Joan, had asked him about his day. He told Joan about all the networking and other contacts he had made that day. Joan said that was good, but asked Mark when was he going to make any sales. Joan was saying “I Don’t Get It.”

The lesson for all of us in business is to be sure the people we are talking to will understand what we are saying.

When we do a seminar, ask our attendees about their background. And we must change our presentation (often on-the-fly) to match their background.

When we are talking to family or friends, we need to realize they don’t get it, and adjust what we are saying.

When we make contact with a prospect, ask questions to be sure they will hear (and understand) what we are saying. Otherwise we are setting ourselves up to fail. And it will be our fault.

Do you agree or disagree with what I’m saying?

Please post your comments and opinions on this subject.

Thanks,
Larry