Collaborative Selling: How To Gain The Competitive Advantage in Sales

There are really only two ways to sell anything. One is a struggle most of the time. Let's call this one "Hard Selling". The other seems pretty effortless. I call this one "Collaborative Selling". I must admit that both will get you some business. However, "Hard Selling" is always uphill battle. "Collaborative Selling," on the other hand, guarantees you huge rewards, an endless flow of ready-to-buy prospects, and creates an environment for you to have incredible fun doing it. Before we go any further we have to clarify which method you have been using. Here's a simple test that should give you a clue if you're not already sure. Answer these 3 questions: *How much of your business comes from unsolicited referrals? *How many of your customers buy from you again and again? *Is the closing of the sale easy or hard? When you become a part of your customers' very own support staff (which is the case in "Collaborative Selling"), you will consistently get referrals and repeat business. Hopefully you do get a lot of referral and repeat business. Unfortunately, too many salespeople I work with can't say that. If that sounds like you, I can help you transform your results. Here is the pattern I notice in many sales people. They constantly jump from job to job. They change entire industries. And they are constantly looking for new customers. I had to learn this lesson myself the hard way… Back in 1966, when I was just 19 years old, I made more money than my dad or anyone else in my family. You won't believe how. I sold pots and pans. They were very expensive. They sold for nearly $300. Remember. This was over 35 years ago when you could buy a decent used car for that amount. On my first sale, I sold a friend what we called our "Golden Opportunity" package. So not only did she get the pots...she also plunked down an extra $200 on some china. Hey! They were nice plates. Now she didn't really want all this stuff. She just didn't have the power to say "No." My offer and my close were way too strong for her to resist. Sounds good right? Not so fast. You have to look deeper. Here's what happened next... When I delivered the cookware, I asked her to go get her address book. It was time to get a list of referrals. Right? Wrong! She said no. I asked, "Why not? I don't understand." She said, "I don't want you to do to my friends what you did to me." "What's that?" I asked. She looked at me and said, "Tony, you sold me." I still remember how terrible that statement made me feel. She might as well have said I violated her. That's what it sounded like to me. It was a crushing blow. What's the lesson here? Sure, I made the sale. But ultimately I paid the price. I couldn't see it at first. But I paid for it emotionally. I paid for it financially. But worst of all, I paid for it spiritually. It didn't happen all at once, but my sales eventually began to drop off. The biggest reason was, I didn't feel good about what I was doing. It sounds a little cheesy, I know. But don't think for a second that the way you feel, who you are, or what you believe about your product or service, does not affect how well you do. It does! But that's not all. I also didn't feel good about the way my customers saw me. I remember I used to practically pray that I wouldn't see my customers at the store, walking downtown, or standing in line at the movie theater. Maybe you've been there. Anyway, it took me a number of years to figure out what was causing all the struggle. That was then. Here's what I discovered... Back in the 60's and 70's, selling was pretty simple. All you had to do was have a great opening line, a good pitch, and a strong close and you would get sales. You can't do that today. Your customers are too smart. They are too savvy. Yet a lot of sales people way underestimate the knowledge and intuition their prospects come armed with. Just think. They research the Internet. They shop around. They