Are You a Chicken Licken?
Do you remember Chicken Licken? “The is sky falling! The sky is falling!” I was reading my daughters the story of Chicken Licken last night and it struck me that this is reflects the mindset of more than 70% of the population. Those who are wage-slaves and filled with regrets are always afraid of the worst happening and they listen to others who are also paralysed by their fears.
My apologies in advance but I’m going to continue offending you! But you probably need this whack on the side of your head if you’re one of those people.
Fear of Failure is the Biggest Cause of Failure
If you’re one of those people who fears failure and as a result fails to take risks, chances are you have no assets (a mortgage is not an asset, it means you are working for the bank, paying out every month, therefore it is probably your largest liability) or you have a few investments that fall into the “Safe” bracket. You are stuck in the rat race. How does that make you feel?
“Remember the Alamo!”
The rich hate failure but grow stronger because of it. They don’t have to like it, but when they do fail, they’re inspired by it, they learn from it; they act. Texans have turned their greatest defeat, the Alamo, into a rallying cry. Texans may be brash, but they don’t hide their failures. When they fail, they fail BIG. And yet, that attitude has meant they win big too. Precisely because they take risks.
Be Brave 5-Seconds at a Time
Most of us are paralysed in the sales process by fear, of not being liked, of hearing a “no”, of the competition, of the buyer’s power over us.
What if you believed you are in sales to go to the bank, not to get your emotional needs met? What if you thought and acted as if you were financially independent and didn’t need the business? What if you actively sought the prospect telling you “no”? What if you never begged for an appointment? What if you never gave anything away without asking for something of equal or greater value back in return? What if you got IOUs for every concession you ever made with a prospect? What if you were willing to walk away from a piece of business or a prospect who was screwing you down to the table and not ensuring your commercial interests were satisfied too? What if you didn’t agree to a deal where you weren’t clear about every aspect? What if both sides were seen as equals – not one the buyer and the other the (subservient) supplier?
How would that make you feel? How would things be different?
How do you do this? Simply, be brave 5-seconds at a time.
What Does That Mean?
It means that you don’t have to be brave all the time. But at the important moments in the sale, plant your feet. Stand your ground. Be willing to say “no”. Be willing to hear “no”. Don’t start from the premise that “I’ve been working on this deal for so long I must get the order” or “They’re the customer, the customer is King”. Think more like Cromwell! Pick your fights.
High Stakes Game
Whether you like him or not, Cromwell changed the playing field for monarchs across Europe. He had everything to lose including his life. But you can be brave and draw on his example. The customer needs you, your services because if he even knew what his problem was, he’d already have fixed it. Take a leaf out of Cromwell’s book and recognise the “King” can only stay in power so long as he has his cronies and courtiers, his armies to support him. Once the will of the people left him, he was human like the rest of us.
A customer does not rule you by Divine Right. You are his equal and he needs you. If you withdraw from a tender or bid because it is bad business or the customer isn’t playing the game fairly, he has to go through the hassle of finding another provider in time to make the tender process meaningful. Withdraw your support and isn’t he a king without subjects?
But What About The Competition & Customer Choice?
Certainly, customers generally have choices. And certainly they have systems designed to protect their interests …. at the expense of your interests. It doesn’t mean you have to accept them a gospel. Did Moses come down from Mount Sinai with the 11th Commandment “Thou shalt be your customers’ whipping boy”? Did Confucious say “The Customer is always right and you should do exactly what he wants you to do”? Did Socrates say “Spill your beans, answer all your customer’s questions and accept a think it over as possible future business”? Hell’s teeth. NO!
You Gain More Credibility From The Questions You Ask Than The Information You Give
Uncover your prospect’s real pains and you have already separated yourself from the majority of your competition. Ask those questions that separate you from the pack, that make you stand apart from the rest of your rivals. Wouldn’t you agree, that you gain more credibility from the questions you ask than form the information you give?
I have never sold high-end leasing on major capital investments that depend on the value of money over a 5 year period for them to be profitable. Nor have I sold high end investments where you minimum entry requirement is that you can afford to lose £250,000 in one hit. Still less have I sold the fulfilment of women’s fantasies (anyone who knows me, knows this is an oxymoron where I’m concerned!). Yet, these are among my broad range of clients.
Pain
What do they have in common? Their pain is that they needed to sell more, they were being frustrated by problems with filling their pipeline, closing business or getting customers to buy more, more often at premium prices.
Was I afraid of failure? Was I afraid they’d say “no”? Well it was always a possibility, as was the chance they’d go to what was familiar, more mainstream. They could have gone to Huwthwaite International and studied SPIN (the best traditional selling system by far in my opinion) or Solution Selling, or a big name like Visual Arts (John Cleese’s renowned sales training company) or some other variant of the 4000+ sales training companies in my territory. But I was brave 5-seconds at a time.
“Let’s You and Him Fight”
I stood my ground. I even encourage them to speak to the competition….because I know the competition will take the bait; because I know the competition will prove my point; because I know the competition will do what I predict they will do. They will tell my prospects why they’re the best. They’ll tell my prospects what they should do. They’ll tell my prospects why they’re wrong to consider my services. And then they’ll have to defend and justify their position when my prospects give them objections and put them under pressure over money.
I equip my prospects with the questions that help my competition hand me the business on a plate. Because I’m brave 5-seconds at a time. I’m willing to take risks, I don’t “play it safe”. This is not a strategy for everyone; in fact you may hate it. But if you risk little, expect scant rewards.
Sandler Rules
• Never beg
• Never justify or defend
• Never close
• Never handle objections
• Always be negative
• Always go for the “No”
Didn’t I say you’d probably hate this article? What lesson do you take from Chicken Licken?
Chicken Licken’s Lesson
As Chicken-licken was going one day to the wood, whack! an acorn fell from a tree on to his head. “Gracious goodness me!” said Chicken-licken, “the sky must have fallen; I must go and tell the King.”
So Chicken-licken turned back, and met Hen-len. “Well, Hen-len, where are you going?” said he. “I’m going to the wood,” said she. “Oh, Hen-len, don’t go!” said he, “for as I was going the sky fell on to my head, and I’m going to tell the King.” So Hen-len turned back with Chicken-licken, and met Cock-lock. “I’m going to the wood,” said he. Then Hen-len said: “Oh, Cock-lock, don’t go, for I was going, and I met Chicken-licken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on to his head, and we are going to tell the King.”
So Cock-lock turned back, and they met Duck-luck. “Well, Duck-luck, where are you going?”
And Duck-luck said: “I’m going to the wood.” Then Cock-lock said: “Oh! Duck-luck, don’t go, for I was going and I met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-liken, and Chicken-liken had been at the wood and the sky had fallen on his head, and we are going to tell the King.”
So Duck-luck turned back, and met Drake-lake.
“Well, Drake-lake, where are you going?” And Drake-lake said: “I’m going to the wood.”
Then Duck-luck said: “Oh! Drake-lake, don’t go, for I was going, and I met Cock-lock, and Cock-lock met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-licken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on to his head, and we are going to tell the King.”
So Drake-lake turned back, and met Goose-loose.
“Well, Goose-loose, where are you going?” And Goose-loose said: “I’m going to the wood.”
Then Drake-lake said: “Oh, Goose-loose, don’t go, for I was going, and I met Duck-luck, and Duck-luck met Cock-lock, and Cock-lock met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-licken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on to his head, and we are going to tell the King.” So Goose-loose turned back, and met Gander-lander.
“Well, Gander-lander, where are you going?” And Gander-lander said: “I’m going to the wood.” Then Goose-loose said: “Oh! Gander-lander, don’t go, for I was going, and I met Drake-lake, and Drake-lake met Duck-luck, and Duck-luck met Cock-lock and Cock-lock met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-licken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on his head, and we are going to tell the King.” So Gander-lander turned back, and met Turkey-lurkey.
“Well, Turkey-lurkey, where are you going?” And Turkey-lurkey said: “I’m going to the wood.”
Then Gander-lander said: “Oh! Turkey-lurkey, don’t go, for I was going, and I met Goose-loose, and Goose-loose met Drake-lake, and Drake-lake met Duck-luck, and Duck-luck met Cock-lock, and Cock-lock met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-licken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood and the sky had fallen on this head, and we are going to tell the King.”
So Turkey-lurkey turned back and walked with Gander-lander, Goose-loose, Drake-lake, Duck-luck, Cock-lock, Hen-len and Chicken-licken. And as they were going along, they met Fox-lox.
And Fox-lox said: “Where are you going?” And they said: “Chicken-licken went to the wood, and the sky fell on to his head, and we are going to tell the King.” And Fox-lox said: “Come along with me, and I will show you the way.” But Fox-lox took them into the fox’s hole and he and his young ones soon ate up poor Chicken-licken, Hen-len, Cock-lock, Duck-luck, Drake-lake, Goose-loose, Gander-lander, and Turkey-lurkey; and they never saw the King to tell him that the sky had fallen.
And realise that the rich get rich because they spot the opportunities others don’t. Be a fox not his dinner.
(c)Sandler Systems Inc. 2006
Happy selling!
Marcus Cauchi 