Wednesday, April 08, 2009

The Secrets of Selling

My Financial Post column this week tries to sum up a full-day conference in 700 words.

The Art of Sales conference, which took place late last month in Toronto, brought together major-league speakers on sales and marketing, communication and time management. I summed up five presentations in 700 words.

Highlights:
* Sales coach Jeffrey Gitomer called the multibillion-dollar business stimulus packages in the U.S. “political B.S." As he pointed out, "If you're an entrepreneur, there's no bailout for you. You are your own bailout."

* Communications coach Frances Cole Jones urged attendees to make better use of the word “You.” Instead of telling prospects what makes your product or service the best, she says, shift your pitch to make it about them. "Your health is important to us. That's why we use only the purest ingredients..."

* Think Big guru Michael Port reminded folks that selling is not about products, but people. "If we look at selling as a numbers game, or just overcoming objections, then we miss something huge," he said. "We're missing mad, passionate love for the people we sell to."

Click here to read the full story.

Similar Art of Sales conferences will take place in Calgary on June 12, and in Vancouver and Montreal this fall. Check out http://www.theartofproductions.com/home.html for more info.

3 comments:

The Closer said...

Cool newspaper article. I take my hat off to you that B2B sales is getting so well covered in a mainstream newspaper.... too much of selling seems to be stuck somewhere back in the 70's

Stop by sometime
The Closer

www.iloveclosing.com

Rick Spence said...

Thanks, Closer. I'll check it out.

Cory Fry said...

Hi Rick,

Just caught this article in a late edition of the Vancouver Sun - was looking through some old stories. I appreciated your comments, and laughed at the contrary advice given by the first and last speakers.

I included your thoughts in my blog on Workplace Health & Wellness - we just presented on Managing Your Energy recently and that is how I came across your article.

I am just getting going in the blog world http://thinkcos.wordpress.com/