If Buddha Was A Salesman – Right Speech – Think Big, Speak Big, Be Big

Everything you say can express how you feel and how you are on the inside. Your words are the windows to your thoughts and your worldview. This makes everything that you say and everything that you don’t say extremely important. Everything matters – every breath, every syllable and every sentence. Nothing is meaningless. With words we confirm to the world and yourself what you think is important. Words have power and more specifically your words have power. Choose them carefully since to examine your words is to examine yourself.

The best insights about watching what we say should be obvious:

• Don’t lie. Even the slightest mistruth undermines your credibility. Trust and credibility is everything in sales.
• Don’t over exaggerate. Again, credibility and trust.
• Don’t speak poorly of others – “Those in glass houses should not throw stones.” When you point the finger at another, you have 4 fingers pointed back at yourself.
• Know when to say something and when to stay quiet – “We have two ears and one mouth for a reason.” Silence is deafening.
• Don’t gossip or tell tales

I would like to focus in on one thing in particular – Think Big, Speak Big, Be Big. I made that one up.

Think big, speak big, be big is my theory that everyone loves a winner. Everyone wants to be associated with the best. Be the best. Be the champion. Speak like the champion. Your product/service is in business for a reason. Let people know what that reason is and why you have successful clients/investors/founders. Don’t lie or exaggerate to make yourself into something you are not but know your strengths and communicate that to your client. If you are not the best answer for your client on any level, you are speaking to the wrong client/prospect.

To paraphrase Sun Tzu:

“You can’t make your enemy conquerable; you can only make yourself unconquerable.”

Be the best by being the best. Don’t be the best because everybody else is worse. Know your competition’s strengths and accentuate them in order to draw a line of differentiation between your companies. Then, emphasize how your strengths better fit the needs of the prospect.

This week I had separate conversations with two sales execs from the same company and asked each what made their company different from their competitors. Both gave the same answer, their technology. The difference was that one just talked about their technology and the bits and bytes and efficiency and ROI. The other acknowledged the competitor and pointed out their strength. He then talked about the strength of his company and how his solution is better for a defined (but very large) segment of the market. He acknowledged the weaknesses of his solution as compared to his competitor’s but followed up that it was something they are working on and are able to overcome while still emphasizing how his current strengths are providing immediate value to his clients.

I was extremely impressed by the second approach. The second sales exec acknowledged his competition, built them up and then put himself over the top with his competitive advantage. He demonstrated why he is the champion by being the best of the best and not by being better than competitors that are worse.

In 1990 the commissioner of baseball said that the city of Atlanta could not support a baseball team. The Braves had just finished in last place after years of never fielding a winning team. Then, in the offseason Atlanta signed a high priced free agent, Terry Pendleton, and their young pitching staff came together and they finished in first place in 1991. They went on to the playoffs for the next 14 years and are now looked upon as a model baseball franchise. The fans came back in 1991. The city was always there to support a team, but the city wanted to support a winner. Be that winner.

If Buddha Was A Salesman – Right Intentions

Salesmen do not live in a vacuum. Our success depends on the success of our clients, our company and our industry. As much as we can separate ourselves individually, no one will have success selling something that nobody can use, from a poor company, in a bad industry. Right Intentions or Right Thought speaks about the necessity of using our minds and firm determination, or resolve to free ourselves from ignorance, delusion, negativity and selfishness. Its asks us to purify our attitudes and thoughts – to become totally straightforward and honest with ourselves – and, in so doing, to develop a working loving-kindness, empathy, and compassion toward all. Many times we get caught up thinking about ourselves instead of the customer, trying to be the best in our organization and making our company grab the most market share and revenue to the detriment of our competition. This type of thinking is wrong since it assumes that there exists a scarcity of success and not an abundance. Right Thought and Right Intentions outlines an attitude that the best way to be successful and grow is to help everyone grow.

Freeing ourselves from selfishness means thinking about the customer/prospect and not ourselves. How many times do we concentrate so much on how we present, how our power point looks, what our value proposition is and not what the concerns and the needs of the customer? Right Thought is eliminating selfishness and concentrating on our environment. Concentrate on what the customer is saying, concentrate on the needs of the customer. Not the needs as we perceive them but the needs as they perceive them. The need may be the same but their worldview and perception of the problem is different than ours causing them to miss the value of the solution. Don't think about how the sale effects your life but rather how it effects their life from their point of view.

Right Intentions extends beyond the sales/customer relationship to your relationship with your company and your competitors. When we were children didn't we always want everyone to be happy? A child's is concerned when someone isn't. In today's hyper competitive world we can become more concerned about winning with the attitude that means someone else losing. We act in the best interest of the client so that our sales numbers are the best in the office. Our company wins the deal and we revel in the fact that our competition lost.

There is nothing wrong with winning and nothing wrong with being the best. That is what we all strive for. But lest we not forget that a rising tide lifts all ships. Right Thought and Right Intention is working cooperatively with everyone in your company to ensure everyone's success. It means helping fellow sales execs win their deals. Some companies don't let a sales exec go to a meeting with a customer until they have presented before the rest of the sales group. This collaborative effort is designed to share knowledge and help everyone prepare for their next win. Some would call this a continuous feedback loop.

Also, work with your competition to create a desirable market that everyone wants to participate in. This is exactly what conferences, industry advisory boards and trade associations are for. They all create a fertile garden so in which everyone can grow. Work with your competitors to create a market where everyone wants to buy.

Go so far as to help your competition. You know your strengths and your weaknesses. If you come across a business opportunity that may be better suited for another, pass along the lead. By doing good for others they may return the favor and pass along their lead that is more appropriate for you. At the end of the day the customer is best served in your industry and less motivation to seek alternative solutions. They will also tend to speak well to others about the value that services that your firm and your competitors provide.

We live in a world of abundance, not scarcity. We can win and they can win. Grow the pie. Have all of the prospects in your field have great experiences with your and your competition's solution so that the word spreads and the tide rises.

Turn the attitudes about winning and achieving upside down and inside out. It is in our best interest to be less selfish. Develop an unselfish view of the world because the reality is that we are all interconnected; our fates are intertwined. It takes an entire industry to grow a company and an entire company to grow a successful salesman.

This blog post was developed based on the book, “Awakening The Buddha Within” by Lama Surya Das. It can be found: http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Buddha-Within-Tibetan-Western/dp/0767901576

If Buddha Was A Salesman - The Wisdom of Clear Vision

From my studies of Buddhism, Right View is a foundation that reminds us to look at the world without any delusions or distortions about reality, or ourselves. See roses where there are roses, thorns where there are thorns. Right View emphasizes the development of wisdom which at its essence means knowing what is, knowing how things work, and knowing oneself and others. See yourself as you are and see others as they are.

When we as salesmen are in accord with reality we build trust since how we present ourselves and how we are perceived are in alignment. We must be who we are now since that is the way others see us. Yes, one day I will achieve that VP role and eventually become Master of the Universe through my superior skill, hard work and intellect ,but, today I am a Sr. Sales Executive. The people who I work with and the people who buy from me see me as that and if I were to perceive myself differently and act differently then I would create a disconnect that would break a level of comfort with those around me.

On a company level this is basic marketing. Who is your company and which markets do you serve best? Every company hangs their hat on marquis names but being able to claim that a marquis name within your market niche is just as important since it is more likely to generate a very positive relationship that turns into successful work of mouth and referrals. Don’t turn away “name” business but make sure that your organization is best suited for it. Having right view of your company means that you can clearly define exactly what your product can do, position it properly to the right people, price it correctly to make it valuable for them and profitable for you. Lastly, since you will be selling the right product/service to the right people you will deliver exceptional results and have raving fans who are more than willing to pass along the good word.

To get more in depth with Right View, we also have to know who we are now. Forget what we were and what we are to be. We are who we are now for a reason.

Don't be held back by or be elevated by your past. No one wins every deal. The biggest deal that you won came from a lot of hard work and maybe some “luck” or fortunate circumstances. What have you done for me lately? No one succeeds or wins in every role. It is imperative to our success to let go of the past and be in the now since that lays the foundation for tomorrow.

Similarly, looking forward, we all know whom we want to become. “Act as if” is a popular sales quote. Act as if you have the deal or act as if you have the promotion and those things will come to you. We all have goals and dreams but when we act our daily lives in these dreams we are clueless and out of touch with reality. We are not processing the world as it is happening. I will get to the next level of my career by being the best Sr. Sales Executive that I can be. I will be the best who I am now as part of becoming who I am to be.

Dissatisfaction is caused by attachments. Our attachment to acting like some who we want to be or someone that we were and not the person that we are is a great cause of dissatisfaction and ultimately leads to stress and poor job performance. Develop a mind that clings to nothing. The wise mind understands the limits in hanging on to that which is transient and dreamlike. The awakened mind is free flowing, natural and well rounded. The unawakened, ordinary mind is rigid, limited, and sticky; the ordinary mind has corners and sharp edges on such ideas get caught, hanging us up. We find it difficult to shake off our thoughts or worries, as well as unable to get off our fixed positions and entrenched opinions.

See you, see your company, see your customer as they really are. Be who you are and treat others as they are. Rid yourself of preconceived notions of your past and attachments to your future. Understand your product and who you can really help/deliver value instead of who you want to help and deliver value to. This is the way to identify a niche, take a beachhead and develop a customer base that raves about your products and services. This is what Buddha would do if he were a salesman.

If Buddha Was A Salesman – The 4 Noble Truths

Please know that I am a practicing Catholic and not a Buddhist. My understanding of Buddhism is basic so misinterpretation should not be insulting but rather attributed to the beginning of the path of understanding.

 That said, I have studied Buddhism and found many theories and lessons that translate directly into life and career. At the end of the day Buddhism and all religions are about finding inner peace. When we find inner peace we are the people that others want to work with and buy from. Our empires are built from the inside out.

The purpose of this blog is to share some of those insights and give you some food for thought so that you too can find inner professional peace. This blog post sets the table for others to follow which detail the teachings of Buddhism as applied to sales and ultimately career growth.  We start with the Four Noble Truths.

It is the nature of life that all beings will face difficulties, through enlightened living one can transcend these difficulties, ultimately becoming fulfilled liberated and free.

The Four Noble Truths:

1 – Life is difficult

2 –Life is difficult because of attachment. We crave satisfaction in ways that are inherently dissatisfying.

3 – The possibility for liberation from difficulties exists for everyone.

4 – The way to realize liberation and enlightenment is by leading a compassionate life of virtue, wisdom and reflection.

#1 – [Sales] is Difficult

We all are faced with challenges. Sometimes challenges find us. A bad economy, new disruptive technologies and business models, deal killers within organizations, contacts changing roles are all uncontrollable variables. If you do have a rock solid sales process that produces consistent results then your difficulties should be from new initiatives to grow faster, bigger and better. If you don’t have challenges, if you don’t have difficulties and you aren’t playing the game.

Accept pain. Accept difficulties. Our jobs are hard. Sales are not easy. No two sales are exactly the same. Strategy and game play is always in effect. This is why we earn the big bucks (HA!). This leads us to Truth #2:

#2 – [Sales] is difficult because of attachment. We crave satisfaction in ways that are inherently dissatisfying.

Good sales professionals set goals for themselves that are higher than anything that they have achieved before. Have a good year? Make the next one better! It does not matter if last year’s economy was better than one or if the stars aligned for you where a huge client signed. Find a way to do what you did last year and then do more!

That should be our attitude and goals but it also is a cause of dissatisfaction and pain. We need to set goals, strategies and measureable activities to achieve these goals and then let them go. Forget about your goals. Know your destination, plan your trip and then concentrate on driving. You will get there if you just drive. Driving is easy. Driving is the here and now. Be in the here and now.

A friend/mentor of mine passed along this advice: You can’t control your results but you can control your activities. You don’t know when a deal is going to close but you can concentrate on filling the pipeline with deals that will eventually close. When you do this you may go through droughts where the deals are not closing, but, then one day it is your phone ringing with deals you are winning. The dawn of a new day changes from drought to monsoon. You don’t control when that happens but you do control how hard it will rain when it does. That is all based on you activity, your driving.

Recently my sales process which was producing exceptional year over year sales and new client wins had the plug pulled on it due to lack of funding. Needless to say I was upset. My destination and goals stay the same but my car was taken away.

I was upset until I realized that my dissatisfaction and stress was due to the attachment to my method. By letting go to this attachment I was able to find peace and regroup to come up with a new strategy, a new path to reach the same destination.  I found peace by letting go of my attachment to a method and setting a new strategy with new tactics to achieve my goals.

Are the results not there? If the activities are right let go of the results and focus on the activities. If your sales process is disrupted, let go of the attachment and reinvent.

#3 – The possibility for liberation from difficulties exists for everyone.

Yes. Everyone. Even you. Especially you since you are still reading this.

#4 – The way to realize liberation and enlightenment is by leading a compassionate life of virtue, wisdom and reflection.

Compassionate Life of Virtue – Always act in the best interest of the client. Sell something with value and find ways for everyone to benefit from it. Everyone means your client, your company and yourself. Remember that the client has the money so they do come first but you also have a responsibility to make a profit for your company. Be good to everyone and they will be good to you.

Wisdom and Reflection – Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.  Wisdom is the collection of your smarts, education and experience. To get the most out of all of these is to have time to step back and reflect. Think about things from many different angles. Challenge yourself mentally. Day dream. Take time to review and learn from your wins and losses. I do mine at the gym or when running, walking or snowboarding. Use time when you are away from offices, family and when your blood is pumping. Exercise helps the thought process.

References:

Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das: http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Buddha-Within-Tibetan-Western/dp/0767901576

Lama Surya Das home page: http://www.surya.org/

Sales: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales