The Sales Bible... If You will Ask

by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com

The Sales Bible is an upgrade of Jeffrey Gitomer's original Sales Bible. It is a refinement of all his best works in sales made as a guide to follow, with detail and process in each step of the sales process that is a viable constant reference tool. It is like the Bible in that when we go back to it constantly to gain excellence in our selling skills, we will become the master sales person we want to be. He starts with his10.5 commandments, then takes us through his 12 parts of the book.

His 10.5 commandments are: Think, believe, engage, discover, ask, observe, dare, own, earn, prove and become. Jeffrey Gitomer goes on to explain how to use the book and defines the purpose of The Sales Bible... it is not a method of selling, but a series of real-world observations, strategies, and philosophies that you can modify to your style of selling. Below are selected excerpts from The Sales Bible, but not even close to the exhaustive nature of each part of the sales process he advocates.

The old way of selling doesn't work anymore. The new rules of the game has 7.5 rules.
1. Say it in terms of what the customer wants, needs, and understands.
2. Gather personal information.
3. Build friendships.
4. Build a relationship shield that no competitor can pierce.
5. Establish common ground.
6. Gain confidence.
7. Have fun and be funny.
7.5 Never get caught selling.

Part one has all the new rules... 39.5 of them. The success sales formula today is a big AHA! ...Attitude, Humor, Action.

One of the secrets of the Book of Selling is finding the hot button. Ask... do a lot of asking... but ask questions about their status and situation, issues of pride, personal interests, what they would do if they didn't have to work, goal-related questions, and look around the office or environment. Listen... and this is the key to really hear what they are saying... but listen for the first thing that comes in their mind, emphatically said, long-drawn out answers, repeated statements, emotional responses. Then ask more questions of significance or importance that is to them. Now you are circling around the hot button. The hot buttons are many times sensitive issues, elusive and an elevator. You must push this button.

Create a personal mission statement and read it daily. In it define yourself, what you're dedicated to, your service to others, how you will do better, commitment to self and others and how you're going to achieve your mission. Post it where you can see it every day.

Use humor, and create WOW. WOW is persistent, knowledgeable about the prospect, prepared, arrive ten minutes early, professional, gets to points quickly, differentiates you from the competition, confident and be a WOW in your positive, self enthusiasm.

Build your power questions that are concise, thought through, knowledgeable of competitors, relations to prospects business situation, addresses their objectives, and exceeds their objections, and makes your prospect think through his needs, wants and desires.

Build power statements that creatively makes your product outstanding, understandable, credible, incredible and buyable.

In your introductions, at the first meeting or networking opportunities, be sure to include your name, company name, "what I do, my power question, my power statement, how I can help, and why the prospect should act now." This is your 30-second commercial you should have artfully down pat. To get referrals: go slow, arrange a three way meeting (if your customer is with you you don't have to sell at the first meeting), arrange a second private meeting, don't send too much information in the mail, write a personal note in first 24 hours, write your customer a note of thanks, over deliver.

Take along objection prevention insurance by sharing stories of similar situations, use testimonial letters and videos, story or article about your product or service, a comparison chart, "my experience has shown," other customers have said, "I used to believe, but now...," prepare yourself.

When the prospect is ready to close, begin the close. Almost any question by the prospect is a closing sign. Don't use yes, and no answers. Ask more questions to gain more insight to their question, to clarify what they may want. The more rapport you gain in the front, the more true inquiry the prospect will have.

The follow up process is vital, and use tools such as personal notes, letters from customers, third-party mutual friend endorsement, support articles, video, meet at a networking meeting, visit to your facility, ad specialty, lunch appointment, after-work meeting, tickets, telephone to provide more information of interest to the prospect.

Want to close more sales... listen more closely. Don't interrupt, give nods and voice gestures to show you are following them ( a huh, I see, gee, oh). Gitomer says the best advice is to just shut up and let them talk. Look, nod, and repeat back what they said... "so this is very important to you..."
Use trade shows to get many leads. Work the trade shows during setup, set a goal to meet so many customers, so many prospects, have someone with you to help, be a presenter, meet new vendors who will network with you. Have fun, shake hands, repeat names, and be memorable. The more fun you are having the more you will attract others.

Network, work a room, get your 30-second commercial down, be where you meet new people (75%), and build relationships with customers (25%).

The new breed of salesperson... a non-sales person. The trend is to non-manipulative selling at its purest, non-threatening, helpful, consultative, total product knowledge, error prevention, on top of the job.

Commit yourself. Sales is a way of life.
1. Get a positive attitude.
2. Set goals, and make a commitment.
3. Dedicate yourself to mastering the science of selling.
4. Design a networking plan and implement it.
5. Be a leader.
6. Get involved in the community.
7. Know your prospect.
8. Be memorable.
9. Help other people.
10. Stay focused and look for opportunity.
11. Establish long-term relationships.
12. Have fun.
Train yourself, train your team.

For much more on Jeffrey Gitomer and The Sales Bible, delve into his website and log into his Git Bit box:
http://www.gitomer.com/

In If You Will Ask (Discovery House, 1985), Oswald Chambers gives fresh insight from this classic work on how prayer is powerful to change us to great people of God's character. Prayer is an interruption of personal ambition. No one who is busy has time to pray. What will suffer is the life of God in him, which is not nourished by food, but by prayer. Here's selective sections from this Classic by Chambers.

Chamber's reminds us that God knows the things we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8). So why ask? Prayer is not the way to get things from God, but the way to get to know God. It is not the tool of a spoiled child to get what he wants. The purpose of prayer is to reveal the presence of God, equally present at all times and in every circumstance. As long as we are self-sufficient and complacent, we don't want Him. It is only when we know we are powerless that we are prepared to listen to Jesus Christ and do what He wants.

Be yourself exactly before God and present your problems, the things you have come to your wits end about. Ask what you will and your prayers will be answered. "In everything give thanks." Prayer is not altering things externally, but working wonders within our disposition. When we pray things may stay the same, but we become to be different. It's like when we fall in love, the circumstances around us don't mean as much as just being with that person. We are never what we are inspite of our circumstances, but because of them.

Laying on a bed of feathers is comfortable, but feathers on top of us can smother us. By Jesus, The Spirit of God, we stay on top of our circumstances.

Beware of placing the emphasis on what prayer costs us; it cost God everything to make it possible for us to pray. Jesus did not say to agonize with me in prayer, but to "watch and pray."

"My Kingdom is not of this world. The Kingdom of God is within you." "Watch with me. Mine is the only road to the Kingdom." Our importunity, or pressing demands are for others, not self-centered in ourselves.

We get glimpses of heaven, then we are brought immediately down to actual circumstances. We have to walk on earth to what we see according to the vision. But the vision is to be made real in the actual circumstances; the glory is to be manifested in earthen vessels... our hands, finger tips, eyes and feet.

When we pray with difficulty it is because Satan is gaining ground. If we try to tackle the devil by our strength, we are done for. Confidence in the natural world is self-reliance, in the Spiritual world it is God-reliance. Faith is the unbreakable confidence in the personality of God, confidence in God over and above everything. We are protected by His covering shield.
"Praying Always." ...the unutterable simplicity of it! No panic, no flurry, always at leisure from ourselves on the inside.

We should never blunder on trying to forecast how God is going to answer prayer. God made a tremendous promise to Abraham, then God didn't speak to him for 13 years, until every possibility of his relying on his own intelligent understanding was at an end. Over and over again, God has to teach us how to stand and endure, watching actively and wondering. It is always a wonder when God answers prayer. "If two of you agree with each other as touching anything that you ask it will be done for them." (Matthew 18:19) That is a wonder. "The effectual prayer of a righteous man makes much available." ( James 5:16) Isn't that a wonder. If you have a vision for how wonderful God will answer your prayer, are you watching for it to be answered along His line.

In times of perplexity may we get back to the watch tower with a wide-eyed wonder of a child waiting for God's answer to our prayers.

God does not expect us to work for Him, but work with Him. Every man carries His Kingdom within, and no one knows what is taking place in another's kingdom. We say, "no one understands me." Of course they don't; each of us is a mystery. There is only One who understands us, and that is God. We must hand ourselves over to Him.

We should never bank on our own earnestness or our own sense of need. We should never have the idea that God does not answer; we become restfully certain that He always does. Prayer is about the atoning work of Jesus. It is because of His work, that we have power in prayer. It's not about our effort, but Jesus Christ atonement on our behalf. When the Holy Spirit lays a definite purpose on our hearts, we must make a decision to fling ourselves almost recklessly on God, burning bridges behind us. No one can advise us when we take our step except the Holy Spirit.

Meet every arrangement of the day in the power of the Holy Spirit. "Pray with ceasing." Keep a child-like habit of recognizing and relying on the Holy Spirit all the time. Anything we rely on, even our religion, may be a hindrance to totally reliance on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like a child, a child-spirit in us, and with utter confidence in God.

Pray with your whole spirit. It's man's personality completely imbued with the Spirit of God till all the highest mystical of God reaches and saturates the person's whole personality. All this becomes embedded in the subconscious, super-conscious beyond the range of what we are able to grasp. Where are these regions. See them in Psalm 139 (NLT).
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

God searches everything, deep within me. He goes before me and places I don't even know exist. His love is so great He covers all the depth of my life with His protective and powerful Spirit.
The mind of Christ is being formed in us. By letting His Spirit imbue our spirit, our thinking, our reasoning faculties. His Spirit will feed our souls.

It is important to remember that all our circumstances are in the hand of God. We intercede with His Spirit for all the saints in the entire world. The Holy Spirit does the interceding, but we must do our part. The Holy Spirit is making intercession for us so we will never become impoverished. Let us never forget the depth and height of our calling and the place he has for His purposes... that He will always protect and provide power.