THIRD POST

Have you ever sat in a sales training and said to yourself "how much money has this clown ever made actually selling?" Or better yet, " if he/she was so good at selling why are they training?" Some sales trainers look like they dress in the dark and would struggle to sell batteries in a blackout. One guy, I will never forget, slipped and fell cutting his lip minutes before the training started. The cut bled all day and the guy was a tough SOB, he finished the training and was pretty good. Sales trainers aren't all bad, there is often too much focus on process rather than thinking differently.

I think salespeople are naturally skeptical when it comes to change and generally resist. There are two things that I've noticed over the years that make us change. One is more money and opportunities for earnings in new areas. Another is peer pressure. None of us want to lose to the jackass on the other side of our fancy 8X8 cube. You know, the person you poach from on every opportunity and continually tell yourself how much better you are at sales than they are.

In some of those trainings you hear expressions like "find the customers pain points" or "what is the compelling event that is driving the client to buy?" I love all of these phrases. They sound so cute. Not too many people ever talk about creativity. Its not a hard concept, just takes a little bit of processing on the old hard drive between your ears.

How can creativity lead to more business? Yesterday I talked with a customer who is losing an account because his competition has a minority owned status and procurement is driving the IT group to increase spend in this area. I suggested to my customer that he ask his client if the minority dollars had to come from cabling services. Turns out they don't. Last week I read an article about a minority owned company that is in the business of disposal and recycling of PC's, switches, etc and the company is looking for agents who can earn commissions when securing new contracts. I suggested to my customer that he become an agent and see his client to help them fulfill their diversity spending requirements in a manner that allows him to keep the account and potentially make a few bucks. How did I know this information? It was suggested to me by a smart guy (my dad) that I read trade magazines and periodicals about new businesses and this article was in a magazine focused on people developing new companies. My competition did not have this idea. I think that I will be perceived as compelling and relevant and further secured that lasting profitable relationship we all seek. Visit www.gitomer.com for great ideas on creativity!