I guarantee there is not a single client, customer, or prospect who wants to be an expert on what it is that you do. That’s what we have you for: to be our expert, adviser, and resource.

Your clients do not have the time nor the inclination to be an expert on what it is that you do. Heck, most clients don’t have the time to keep up with all the information they need to be experts in their own field, let alone yours. That’s why your ability to supply your clients with knowledge, expertise, information, and education is critical to not only your success, but theirs, too.

THE FOURTEENTH ROCK-SOLID RULE FOR ACHIEVING SALES SUCCESS

Successful salespeople act as experts, advisers, and resources to their clients, always ready to provide them with knowledge, expertise, information, and education.

As an expert, adviser, and resource, your job goes way beyond supplying your clients with great products and great service.Your job is also to provide the client with the knowledge, expertise, information, and education they need to be more successful in their career or business.

If you can do that on a consistent basis, you will have differentiated yourself from the competition, created so much extra value that your price almost becomes immaterial, and reached the zenith of success in sales:You will have made yourself indispensable to the client.

THE FIFTEENTH ROCK-SOLID RULE FOR ACHIEVING SALES SUCCESS

Successful salespeople are indispensable to their clients.

For example, I’ve done a lot of work with salespeople in the cable TV advertising business. Many of their clients are local small businesses.

These are the kind of businesses that don’t have an ad agency representing them and are not big enough to have their own advertising or marketing department. The most successful cable TV advertising salespeople I’ve met don’t just sell ads to these businesses; they lend their knowledge and expertise to these clients while acting as the client’s advertising and marketing consultant.

These successful salespeople first find out everything they can about their client’s business. Then, rather than just selling them an ad or series of ads, they help the client formulate an advertising and marketing plan designed to help them get the biggest bang for their ad dollar and, consequently, increase the client’s business.

By the way, if you haven’t figured it out yet, when you increase a client’s business it not only makes you indispensable, but it gives the client the wherewithal to buy even more from you. Talk about a win-win.

This is a free excerpt from Chapter 12 of The Best Damn Sales Book Ever.

As a professional speaker, I have a huge edge on many of my clients: I don’t speak in only one industry. I speak in a wide variety of industries to a wide variety of companies. One of the many things I enjoy about what I do is that I get to learn about all these different industries and companies. I also get to see what goes on in these industries and their marketplaces. Let me tell you what I see going on in almost every single industry and marketplace that I have walked into in the last 5 to 10 years.

The middle is dead! The middle is gone!

If you want to be successful in today’s business world and economy, you have to be one of two things: the cheapest or the best.

The days are long gone when you could sell a pretty good product or pretty good service at a pretty good price, because I can get “pretty good” at a dirt cheap price. Or I can get “fantastic” at just a little more expensive price, because pretty good just isn’t good enough anymore.

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Look around you, go to any shopping mall. Look at the stores that do business and look at the stores that do not. On the one hand, you have your deep discounters, such as Wal-Mart,Target, and Kohl’s. But even down at this end, where price is supposedly the deciding factor, how do you explain what happened to Kmart? Similar merchandise, similar prices, but not nearly the same results as Wal-Mart, Target, or Kohl’s.

Walk into a Wal-Mart,Target, or Kohl’s and you’ll find them well lit (you could use a pair of sunglasses in Wal-Mart) and well stocked. I don’t know about you, but I’ve walked into quite a few Kmarts that were poorly lit, and let me tell you something about poor lighting. When a store is poorly lit it looks dingy.When it looks dingy, it can look dirty, even if it’s clean.

Another thing I noticed in Kmart are what’s known as “holes in the shelves.” This is a retailing term signifying they’re out of that item, causing a big empty space on the shelf (hence the term).Now I don’t know about you, but for me the biggest reason to go to a large discounter like Wal-Mart is that I don’t have to worry they won’t have what I’m looking for, since they seem to have everything. With time becoming such a precious commodity in people’s lives, do you really think people want to shop somewhere that won’t have what they’re looking for and they’ll have to go somewhere else? So even down at the price end there’s a value component.

Let’s look at the other side of the coin from the cheapest—let’s go to the best.These are retail stores like Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, along with specialty operations like Banana Republic and Abercrombie and Fitch.

Then right in the middle you have those mid-range, midprice department stores. You remember those places.Your mother used to drag you there as a kid. Thirty years ago every major city in America had at least three or four of them, and now maybe one or two are left. They either went out of business, merged, or were taken over.

What made the department stores great in their heyday was personal service. Once the discounters started to flex their muscles by cutting price, the department stores started to do the same.The problem was, in order to cut their price, they had to cut somewhere else, and where do you think that was? That’s right, they got rid of the people who provided personal service.

The customers responded predictably. They figured as long as they were going to get abused, they might as well go to a discounter and pay less for the privilege.

SALES TIP

You don’t compete on what your competition does best and you don’t. You compete on what you do best and they don’t.

So here it is: You have to be the cheapest or the best. The question is, where do you want to be? Well, if you want my advice, I’ll tell you where you never want to be. You never want to be the cheapest. You never want to be known as the “price company” or the “price salesperson.”

THE TWELFTH ROCK-SOLID RULE FOR ACHIEVING SALES SUCCESS

Successful salespeople consistently create and sell value, rather than get stuck selling price.

I'm writing to share with you two great examples of entrepreneurship from a chapter of my book, The Best Damn Sales Book Ever. I also highly recommend a great new book, The One Minute Entrepreneur, by Ken Blanchard and Don Hutson. It is an exciting story about the trials and tribulations of business. You can take part in their special offer by clicking here.

...This is an excerpt from Chapter 15 of The Best Damn Sales Book Ever:

When I ask,“Why did you get into sales,” or “Why did you go into this kind of business,” I’ve had way too many people say, “...Because I heard you can make a lot of money in sales,” or, “I heard you can make a lot of money in this kind of business.” I know people who have made a lot of money doing things where others would turn up their noses.

You’ve probably never heard of a man named Randy Repass. He was like so many other people in that he had a job he was disappointed with at a Silicon Valley technology firm, so he turned to his love of boating for relief from the cold, impersonal nature of the high-tech industry. In 1968, working out of his garage in Sunnyvale, California, he began selling nylon rope by mail order under the name West Coast Ropes. Occasionally, adventuresome customers would even drop by to pick up their orders in person.

“I decided from the beginning that I wanted to take care of people,” says Repass.“The high-tech industry didn’t provide me with an effective way to do that. But the boating industry gave me the opportunity to really enjoy my work and interact with customers who shared my interests. I was having a blast and building a business at the same time.”

Repass also saw an opportunity to improve the way people shopped for boating supplies. According to Repass, he was frustrated by the experience of shopping in local chandleries for the parts he needed to outfit his modest day-sailer. “Boat supply stores in those days were usually dark, disorganized places staffed by a couple of salty but indifferent clerks who preferred swapping sea stories with one another to helping customers find what they came in to buy.”

Repass’s dissatisfaction led him to open the first West Coast Ropes store in Palo Alto, California, in 1975. From that one store, a love of boating and a commitment to helping rather than selling enabled Randy Repass to build West Coast Ropes into West Marine, the world’s largest boating supply retailer.

I’m sure that selling tires for a living doesn’t seem like the road to riches or the coolest way to make a living, but don’t tell that to Paul Zurcher.

Mr. Zurcher (I don’t think I’ve ever called him Paul, and even though he’s one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met, I don’t really think I could) left the Armed Forces right after serving in World War II. Having grown up on a farm in rural Indiana, the only thing he knew was that he didn’t want to be a farmer. With the help of a $2,500 loan from a local businessman who took a liking to him and believed in him, Mr. Zurcher bought a one bay service station. As his business grew, he branched out into selling tires. Treating every customer as special (as every customer is), his tire business grew and today Zurcher Tires, more commonly known as “Best One,” is one of the largest retailers and wholesalers of tires in the United States, with stores all over Indiana and the Midwest.

Mr. Zurcher, now in his 80s, is as active in the business as ever. While he certainly doesn’t have to be—his sons, along with other family members and executives, do a great job of running the company— he loves being there as much today as he did 60 years ago.

You know what? You can make a lot of money doing anything, if you really love it and put everything you’ve got into it. Loving what you do is what is going to get you through the hard times when there is no money coming in. It is also the one quality that can help make you great at anything you do.

I just received a very interesting question from Davida Roth. You might remember her; she’s the Mary Kay Consultant whose blog comment I used in my last article. Unfortunately, like far too many people these days, Davida finds herself surrounded by the worst kind of people: negative excuse makers.

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However, I’m absolutely shocked that she is still able to see the real truth so clearly. If you don’t believe me, just check out her latest correspondence.

Mr. Greshes,

I was wondering if you could address the idea of "market saturation". In a Co. such as mine ( Mary Kay) where we have no territories is this a valid issue?

The Internet has given many failed MK Consultants and Consultants from other Direct Sales companies a new platform to express their skewed views on why they failed. It is NEVER their fault or responsibility and the main idea that is repeated over and over again, like a mantra is that the "market is saturated". So instead of owning up to the fact that they WON"T do what it takes to build a customer base, they say it CAN’T be done. Drives me crazy because I'm starting to hear higher- ups voice this same idea to justify their lack of success! Are their a lot of Consultants in the US?. .. You betcha!.... Do we have competition from other companies?... Certainly! But my feeling is that the term "market saturation" is the crutch of the lazy salesperson. But I am not the expert,

So I'm asking you- Am I the one off track here, is it possible for a market to be saturated? I'd love to get your opinion and if it's okay, I'd love to share what you tell me on a WAHM forum that I participate in. I've already directed the women who post there to your website on another occasion and will do so again. Thanks for you help with this question and for your kind response to my blog posting.

D.M.R

Davida, I couldn’t have said it any better myself. Of course it’s an excuse. Remember, most people in sales look for any excuse NOT to sell.

Now is there such a thing as market saturation? Of course! One of the many problems of the airline industry was over capacity; there were far more seats than passengers. Of course, when the government keeps giving out taxpayer money to failed companies you end up with more airlines than you need. But now, through mergers, consolidations and streamlined schedules that problem is going away.

Is there market saturation among Mary Kay and other Direct Sales consultants? I’m not sure, but I doubt it. And I very much doubt whether any of those people who claim the market is saturated know what they’re talking about. Do you think any of them commissioned a study by a market research firm in their area? What do you think?

You all know as well as I do what happened. This is standard operating procedure for all excuse makers. They ask one or two people to buy. The first prospect says, “Oh, I really don’t have any money right now, and besides, with the economy the way it is, I’ll probably be cutting back.” The second person they talk to says, “You’re the third person who’s approached me about this in the last month. Boy, there seem to be an awful lot of you.”

That’s all the excuse maker needs to hear. After an exhaustive study of two people, the excuse maker is now convinced that a) Nobody is buying and, b) There are more consultants than customers, so why bother. They have the excuse they wanted. What, you thought they were looking for sales? Remember, excuse makers are more interested in “Not failing,” than in succeeding.

You see the excuse maker always needs a reason or a scapegoat. It’s a heck of a lot easier than looking in the mirror at the real culprit. But the excuse makers can be very useful. After all, as long as they’re around there really is no competition.

So Davida, distance yourself from the excuse makers. Surround yourself with people who think like you do. Oh and by the way, find out the areas where the excuse makers claim there’s no business and go there, because I’ll guarantee you there’s money to be made and there’s NOOOOOOO competition.

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In my last entry, “A Recession Is Coming And I Can't Wait!,” I wrote that recessions and down economic periods are the best times to do business because most of the competition gives up.

As expected, there were some very good comments. Normally, I would leave it at that; but one of the comments was so good, I wanted to make sure you all got to see it. It’s from a woman named Davida Roth and I think she sums up the prevailing attitude, because she’s on the front lines witnessing it. Here’s what she wrote:

Mr.Greshes

Thank you so much for this article. I am an Independent Consultant with Mary Kay Cosmetics and I'm finding that many Consultants in my area had already started to mentally close the figurative doors of their business due to their fears over the economy. Especially since the purchase of cosmetics and skincare is often made with discretionary/ disposable income and for some women it's even a luxury purchase.

I didn't know how to address their concerns and frankly was finding myself getting antsy and anxious every time I even heard a news report on the coming recession. Every "No" that I used to be able to brush off, now seemed to confirm my worse fears. Already, reading and re-reading this article has helped to bolster my flagging confidence and I'll be able to encourage my sister Consultants as well.

Thank you for taking the time to write this post and of course for sharing it with us.

Does that sum it up or what? First of all, WE ARE NOT IN A RECESSION; and there’s a real good possibility there will not be one, but it doesn’t matter! As you can see from Davida’s comment, it’s our own fears that create these self-fulfilling prophecies.

Do you really believe, even if there is a recession, women will STOP buying cosmetics and skincare products? What about all the millions of women who go to work every day, will they stop wearing make-up or using face cream? Yeah, and I think I’ll stop showering because my water bills are getting too high. Sure, maybe they’ll use less or buy cheaper brands, but with so many salespeople giving up, there will be more business out there for the rest of them.

I’m sure glad my article posted at the exact right time and I was able to help Davida as she was about to succumb to one of the biggest obstacles in the world: negative people!

Don’t let negative people stop you. They’re just looking for an excuse to not have to try as hard. Your efforts to keep doing business while ignoring the nay-sayers are less likely to inspire them than it is to make them try harder to stop you, so as not to make them look bad. Your only solution is to tell them, “Either join me and come along for the ride or get out of my way!"