We've all heard the expression "lead by example". This principle was drilled into my head when I was a young management trainee at a national music store chain. Steve, the store manager who was tasked with teaching me all he knew was a sarcastically funny guy and would often paraphrase his hero, Lewis Grizzard, peppering the writer's words with hilarious profanities. And in fits of rage he would utter some of the funniest stuff I ever heard.
One of his frequent outbursts was "Who's paying who around here?" This was usually when we received bad service. In Steve's mind, if we were going to provide great service, which he demanded, then we deserved equally good service from our providers, like electricians or carpet cleaners. And if the carpet was still dirty or the electrician had done shoddy work, Steve would proclaim, "Who's paying who around here?"
Another thing he'd say is that I, as a manger of a staff consisting of high school and college age kids, should lead by example. "Don't ask them to do anything you wouldn't do. If you want them to sweep the floor, you have to let them know that you will sweep the damn floor too!" he'd say wisely.
This message translates very well when it comes to selling. Would you buy a car from someone with no driver's license or a painting from someone who doesn't like art? Of course not. But the old saying that "the cobbler owns no shoes" implies that we don't always buy into our own products or services?
There are actually insurance agents out there who tell everyone else they need a whole life plan but don't have one on themselves or their own family. (NOTE: As an agent I have more than my share of life, disability, cancer and other coverages)
I worked for one agency years ago and our manager would swear by some mystical law of the universe that stated that "you sell what you own". In other words, the guys who only had a disability policy on themselves would only sell disability plans. I'm not completely convinced this is accurate. On the other hand, it always gives me credibility when I can say, "I own this and it's worked great for me."
With all of this in consideration, I have come to the conclusion that we have to lead by example when talking to our prospects and customers. And the key word is "lead", as in we have to take charge. When I go into someone's home, I have to be the one who suggest the seating arrangement. Do my clients get taken aback or offended by this? Not really because even though I've done this hundreds of times, it is an awkward situation for them.
My job is to put them at ease by letting them know that I'm confident in my abilities to help with their concerns. We all want the person to answer our questions who knows what they are talking about, or the expert on the subject. Of course there will questions I can't answer (always are), but temporarily I'm the quarterback and have to lead my team, which consist of my staff, my back office support and my clients. We all are working together to get that customer what they want and in a budget. We all have the same goal.
Next time you're with a customer, let them know you will lead THEIR team to help them out.
And as always, stay healthy.
Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. He's also the author of "You're Going To Be Great At This!", a humorous look at sales. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.
Comments
Post a Comment