There is a shift coming to our nation.
We have moved from an agricultural society to an industrial society to the information age. We have moved from survival to comfort to affluence. Information technology jobs are being exported to places like India. Automation is replacing more and more human functions and the Asian manufacturing tiger is only beginning to roar. For too many of us, our products have been commoditized by technological advances and cheap foreign manufacturing. Let’s face it, there are few among us who aren’t dealing with price issues brought on by fierce competition and we have to effectively differentiate ourselves from our competitors if we are to survive. We are fighting a battle for diminishing returns in a sea of red with more and more players entering the fray every day.

But there is a solution.
You can transition your business from scrapping with competitors in a sea of red to leading your market in an ocean of blue, leaving your competitors wondering what happened. You can discover the seven keys of “right brain” selling and equip your sales team with a “whole brain” sales approach. Most companies train their sales team with left brain skills like information retention, product differentiation, presentation skills, closing skills and logic. As critical as those are, why try to sell your product or service using only half of your brain? And more to the point, why would you want to sell to the part of the brain that is NOT the decision maker?

That’s right.
We decide with our “right brain” (our heart) and justify with our left brain (logic). Yet sales programs for the most part focus on perfecting left brain, linear thinking processes without mastering the “right brain” skills that can set you apart and create space in a crowded environment so you can retain healthy profit margins and experience much less stress. Sound interesting?

Consider this…
Jim was a sales rep for a successful management consulting firm. He had been well trained on product knowledge, presentation skills and most of all, on closing skills. I was asked to make some calls with him to observe his methods and bring improvement where possible, (a service we provide regularly). After making his presentation in a straight forward, clear and concise manner, he went for the close. He was denied. Jim attempted a different close, then another and another and another. By the time he got to the fifth closing attempt, (he had read that 60% of sales are made after the fifth attempt), the prospect was so irritated and angry that he stood up, red-faced, and demanded that we leave. The salesman packed up his briefcase and turned to walk out the door.

Jim had pursued an entirely left brain, logical approach but had failed to appeal to the decision making side of the prospects brain. As we stood to leave, I asked the prospect a simple question, which led to a series of “right brain” exchanges, and twenty minutes later, the angry prospect was a happy new customer and Jim had just earned a $1000 commission - selling an intangible!

Want to know how to do that?
More importantly, would you like to see your sales team equipped with similar skills? Selling Among Wolves has formed a professional association with Tim Rogers and RPM to offer his clients more value by assisting them with issues like “value add” without cutting into profits, growing market share without massive investment and overall revenue growth strategies. Tim brings years of professional experience to the table and has a track record of being a disciplined learner, a mentor and has a passion for helping his customers thrive. Together we would be honored to learn your business challenges and help you navigate to blue oceans where margins are healthy and business is fun.

Michael Q. Pink
Selling Among Wolves
www.sellingamongwolves.com