We’ve been discussing the classic sales trainer Tom Hopkins on this blog for the past week or so. During that process, I’ve discovered that there’s a fair amount of snootiness when it comes to Tom’s teaching, and general feeling that it’s out-of-date and obsolete.
IMHO, one of the big mistakes that today’s B2B sales professionals make is thinking that they’re “better” than the great sales guys of the past, simply because selling has become more consultative in nature. In my view, the classic approaches are worth studying because they’re based upon a profound understanding of human behavior, gained through years of sales experience.
I believe that consultative selling — where you have the luxury of cosying up to the customer and customizing a solution — is much easier than “pure” selling, where the goal (and indeed the requirement) is to move the sale forward and close the deal ASAP.
Now, does this mean that it’s appropriate to give a carnival pitch to a CEO? Absolutely not. But there’s some value in understanding how that kind of selling works and how it relates to more “sophisticated” selling techniques.
With that in mind, I’m posting the above video of Ron Popeil. It’s easy to laugh at the carnival barker approach, but reconsider for a second. Ron Popeil once made a live appearance on a shopping network and sold one million dollars in $120 product in one freakin’ hour.
Think about that for a minute. Sales pros who have cut million-dollar deals are dime-a-dozen. A guy who can sell that much junk, that quickly, is one in a million.
Here’s what I want you to do. Watch the video — it’s very short — and see if you can observe, just from this cornball clip, why Ron Popeil is a more successful salesman that any of the rest of us will ever be.
Here’s what I see: commitment and belief. When Ron sells, he’s completely committed to the process with an almost zen-like intensity. What’s more, he BELIEVES in himself and his products. He’s laying down a patter, of course, but underneath it is a belief that what he’s selling really is a terrific product that everyone should have.
That’s something that works in every sales situation, even in the most convoluted and complex B2B sale.
