The other day I posted a comic poking fun at sales people who rely on a script to get them through the sale. You don’t want a script, but you do want principles. Personal integrity, of course, which, as Stephen R. Covey knew, leads to strength of character. At each sale, even to customers and clients you’ve long held, you also want to build likeability, trust, and influence.
There are keys to doing this in every sale, but the precise means you’ll take will vary depending on who you are with and why.
Principles keep you focused on your goal while allowing you the freedom to treat each prospect as a unique person. Scripts treat everyone the same, as if everyone were the same. They’re rigid and destructive to the sales process. Don’t use them.
Have principles. Show integrity. Develop strength of character. Build likeability, trust, and influence. And recognize and appreciate that every person you meet with is a unique person, with his or her own needs, wants, dreams and desires.
