Salesman’s Poem

From the Desk of John Kumpunen:

When I started in sales some 30 years ago, I read every book I could find on sales and then summarized the gist of them all into a poem that I memorized. Here it is — The Salesman’s Poem — salesman’s shorthand to successful consulting selling.

I love selling — and you will too, once I tell you what I mean by selling. I got started in “sales” when I was 10. I had the good fortune to grow up in my parents’ retail stores. My first Ferengi idea “I see an opportunity here” was to stuff my pockets full of candies before leaving for school. Then I sold them to my schoolmates at slightly higher than store prices (yeah, it was very convenient for them — added value!). Three weeks later, the principal asked me to stop. Back then, I didn’t have the smarts to suggest a joint venture with him.

Why I love selling (and you will, too): Selling is like music. It isn’t one flavor. Some like Oscar Peterson with Ray Brown on bass, some like the angelic voices of Libera (the best natural-sounding boys choir ever), some relate to a guy whose dawg ran away and his pick-up truck don’t work no more.

There’s so many flavors of selling: there’s fast selling, there’s slow selling, there’s boardwalk selling, selling through ads, telephone selling, internet selling, industrial selling, person-to-person selling, there’s purchasing-agent selling, hypnotic selling — and any number of other styles, steps, and modes. It ain’t one thing. At best, it’s a fun-filled resonance of minds (I can’t believe I said that). At worst, you just haven’t found the style of selling you can have fun with.

Heeeere’s what Ed McMahon would tell you…
Ed McMahon’s post-war Atlanta boardwalk showmanship selling style. Ed sold fountain pens and exactly 10 empty boxes. Ed had irresistible charisma, wit, surprise statements, and honesty in selling. Edited for brevity — get his book Here’s Ed and enjoy the presence of a remarkable man long before he met up with Heeeeere’s Johnny.

“You are familiar, ladies and gentlemen, with the famous Western Fountain pen … a familiar object in the vest pocket of every successful businessman. (Tells and shows how the pen operates — omitted here.) And now I am about to shock you … by announcing that I am not selling this expensive article for two dollars. Not for one dollar. Not for fifty cents. No. I am giving this pen away, ladies and gentlemen, absolutely free, to every man, woman and child who buys one of these absolutely necessary gold-finish pen points without which it is impossible to use any fountain pen. Now friends, I can hear you saying to yourself, ‘He’s giving us the fountain pen, but he’s making us buy the point in order to get it’ … This is not true, my friends. But show me a man who does not buy one of these fine, durable gold-finished writing pen points at the miniscule price I am offering them today, and I’ll show you a man who doesn’t recognize a good deal when he sees one, a man with no business sense whatsoever, and I know there are no such men in this gathering.”

Ain’t that sweet? The lost art of in-person showmanship selling — luckily we still have infomercials that replicate the boardwalk style, well, at least the style if not the charm.

I used to sell door-to-door and, later, at trade shows — I quickly learned to apply the “Italian discount” (Italians love to bargain, they will never give your asking price — so you raise the price on the spot 20% and give them a 20% discount — everybody’s happy, capice?). Now, if you spot a Sri Lankan, Indian or Pakistani strolling the trade show aisle and giving you the “we’re on” eye contact, get ready for some real ruthless bargaining. These guys are tough, but fun. Hint: use a take-away close; just tell them point blank, they can’t have it. What follows is 100 times more fun than any video game. Nice guys, but really “price sensitive”. The English, Canadians, and Americans are soooo polite; give them a good price, and they dig into their wallets, bam!

What’s great about relationship / consultive selling:

Don’t think of selling as an adversarial event, most selling scenarios go best with “I’m on your side” selling — think of it as co-operative event. You see, it takes 10 times more effort to get a new customer than to work with an existing customer. You want existing customers. You want long-term customers. You want to retain your clients.

There’s no room for language of the internet gurus: “moneysuck, wild profits, massive traffic, ” — when was the last time you returned to the guy who “moneysucked” you? No, be honest, when was the last time you remember with fond memories of your being moneysucked by an internet guru?

SALESTALK SHOULD NEVER BE HEARD. Nobody likes to be sold at. Nobody likes to be manipulated. Claude Hopkins, 1923 Scientific Advertising, p. 221, says “Any studied attempt to sell, if apparent, creates corresponding resistance”. Claude Hopkins was one wise cookie.

Do you think you have the makings of a true sales person?

Do you think you make more friends by helping them rather than trying to manipulate them?

Do you think the outcome should almost always be a win-win — everybody leaves the table happy?

Do you think the lifetime value of your customer is more important than “moneysucking” him for a few dollars now.

Do you believe that customers who see your selfless motive of helping them (even at the risk of losing this sale) appreciate it, tell about you to their friends, and come back to you for the next sale?

Do you believe in letting the other person finish his sentences before you jump in? Do you know how to really, really, really listen?

If you answered YES to all or some of them, you may have the makings of a truly great sales person. Remember the saying: All show, no dough. Sales superstars LISTEN rather than talk, they build immediate trust (by behaviour mirroring: tonality, pacing, body language), command respect with their honesty and radiate confidence (for confidence, go to your power center; it’s 3 fingers below your naval — put your intention there and see what a difference it makes — I’ll have a video demo of this we did with Yvonne Oswald who taught us about the power center) from their ability to solve problems.

You probably have the makings of a truly great salesperson who radiates empathy, who is respected, a person who spreads contagious enthusiasm, whose advice is sought, who rises above ranks, who creates long-term relations and prospers handsomely. Congratulations. That’s what TRUE selling is all about. Helping.

In the early days, and tried to capture the essence of books on selling into a poem that I then memorized — it’s still good advice for polite, non-confrontational personal selling, especially in North America.

The Salesman’s Poem
by John Kumpunen, KRIN.com

Long before your eyes will meet,
Say aloud his name.
Know the games he likes to play,
And how he got his fame.

When face to face, smile and speak
His name and words of praise.
You’re there to solve his problems
So let him speak for days.

He wants to look important,
He craves for honest thanks.
So give him that with all your heart
You’ll rise above the ranks.

Like you and I, he acts on thought,
tho’ thoughts are spoken feelings.
To change his heart and all within
Go thru’ his noble dealings.

Never argue, criticize or tell that
He is wrong. You’ll only take his
Doubts away and prove that you
Are a Ding-a-ling-a-dong.

Here’s what it means …

Long before your eyes will meet,
Say aloud his name.

Learn to pronounce the person’s name fluently, practice it aloud on the way to the meeting, put a special warm ring to it. Especially foreign names (like mine) are honey to the person’s ears if you make the effort to say it properly. Need a French name done properly, talk to a French-speaking friend and rehearse it. Your prospect will love you (after he has stopped laughing good-naturedly at your attempt). Love and respect his name like you do yours. Triple-check the spelling before you email him with a follow-up.

Know the games he likes to play,
And how he got his fame.

Know the games he plays — what’s his golf handicap, how’s his bowling, his daughter’s soft-ball pitching, his Johnny Cash record collection. We’re all more passionate about our games (or our kids’ games) than business and if you can tap to that hobby, you’re on their side. I’m immediate brothers with somebody who plays volleyball, plays an instrument or I can sing harmony with.

What made him famous in the industry — invention, new technique, great growth, stock went up, recent trade-magazine article — what made him famous? Oh, sure you can slip that bit into your natural conversation.

When face to face, smile and speak
His name and words of praise.

Smile with your eyes when you meet him (research shows that people can spot if your eyes don’t smile while your mouth is doing some weird smile-like contorsion). A smile is near-universal language of acceptance, say honest things about him — has he lost weight, does he look good, say it with sincerity, don’t fib — if the guy is any good, he’ll spot insincerity immediately, and you lose big.

It’s amazing how much people are judged on their hand shake — don’t limp it, don’t Schwarzenegger it. Good firm grip, like you mean business. And keep your eye contact — a lot of people are shy about eye contact and lose the initial contact in nanoseconds. Keep it ON for a few seconds as you are shaking his hand.

Humans radiate subtle energy (there’s some really cool research on (bio-)photon emissions from the heart region!!!) that is perceptible by others — you can also hear it on the telephone, or feel it in face-to-face meetings. You can feel it strongly when you hug your kids.

Also, smart salesmen are good at reading the micro-expressions of the face — sudden flicker of the eyes tells your price is too high, another flicker shows interest, mouth and eye brows relax — you’re on track. These are subconscious micro movements of the facial muscles and cannot be controlled. Like reading a book.

Radiate good, caring energy in your business and see what a remarkable difference it makes immediately. Fall in love with your customer, like Jay Abraham says.

You’re there to solve his problems
So let him speak for days.

You’re there to solve HIS problems, not yours. Let him speak (well, not for days) but remember that most salesmen talk too much and listen too little. They lose the sale by talking about price too soon — long before they’ve established their value proposition at an emotional level with the prospect. Listen. Really, really, really listen (and you are one out of 6.5 billion people with that valuable skill).

He wants to look important,
He craves for honest thanks.
So give him that with all your heart
You’ll rise above the ranks.

Never undervalue his importance — so he’s a junior decision maker acting like God’s Older Brother — ease off — he can remove rungs from your ladder up. Remember, we’re all important in some way and crave for honest thanks for our efforts. Thank him for getting back to you so soon, thank him for his secretary’s alertness, etc. Put some heart into it. So few people in business really care anymore.

If you act as his purchasing agent with his best outcome in mind, you will be a rare human indeed. My mother was an excellent salesperson — when she left Murray’s clothing store, the store sales fell 70% — two days later, there’s Murray begging her to come back. Her best sales tools were her caring and honesty — telling not what the customer expected to hear, but honestly telling that the first solution does not seem to work and trying to find better alternatives.

Like you and I, he acts on thought,
tho’ thoughts are spoken feelings.

People buy on emotion and justify with logic — even in business. True story: Final presentation to hospital surgeons on expensive radiology equipment; after the presentation, the chief slaps the table and kills the sale. Why? Because his wife has a toaster made by the same manufacturer — and she doesn’t like it!!!

Try to do a bit of Noam Chomsky — try to understand the deep structure in his language, the semantic and emotive meanings, the true meaning in his words. Read between the lines. Failing that, ask what his hesitation is all about, why is he waffling. Ask.

To change his heart and all within
Go thru’ his noble dealings.

Where’s his heart? Is he a Lion, Shriner, foodbank volunteer, soccer coach, where does he care when he cares, that’s where his heart is. What are his noble deeds? Is he a philanthropist? Does he sponsor a children’s sports team, sing in a choir, what does he do at church? Learn to read his environment: A quick glance around his office will tell you mountains about him — photos, awards, degrees, etc.

There’s a quick and easy 9-point personality profiling system called Enneagram (Google it — there’s some 50 books on it), you will get a quick handle on other people with this system. Invaluable in business, with your kids, and especially with your spouse. Learn about the high, average, and low functioning modes we all go through even within a single day. And you don’t upset your wife nearly as much when you speak the same language and call her a “low-functioning One” instead of the many other more colorful labels.

Never argue, criticize or tell that
He is wrong. You’ll only take his
Doubts away and prove that you
Are a Ding-a-ling-a-dong.

Even if the sales event is starting to look like a waste of your time, too many out-of-the-blue, irrational objections, too many questions, lot of backtracking and excuses, don’t disqualify a prospect impolitely, never argue with him — what are you going to win? Especially with the Chinese, don’t push. They are on a different cultural plane and take their time — let the sale evolve slowly — at their own pace.

North-American selling is geared to expediency: When you get too much obvious b.s. and delay tactics, shift to second gear and ask tough questions — who is the real decision maker, what’s the budget, who else is he talking to, why is he considering you, what’s the decision-making process. Chances are that you’ll force him to come up with good stuff — if not, it is a low-probability deal and you can walk away from it. Just do your pre-qualification better the next time, duh.

All the best of selling,

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