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1-Page Summary of How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success In Selling

Overview

We all learn from our mistakes, but we can also gain wisdom by learning from other people’s failures. If you’re in sales and want to improve your skills, then read these points based on Dale Carnegie’s book How To Win Friends And Influence People. In addition to learning how to be more enthusiastic about selling insurance, conquering fear quickly, and remembering a client’s name, you’ll also learn that it is important for salespeople to understand their clients’ needs.

Big Idea #1: If you feel it, you will be it. Fake being enthusiastic until the real energy kicks in and inspires you.

Have you ever wondered how salespeople stay positive, even though they hear “no” all the time? They probably get ten rejections for every successful sale. The secret is enthusiasm. Luckily, anyone can learn to be enthusiastic by practicing certain techniques.

So, the first step is to be enthusiastic. Frank Bettger was not a good baseball player because he did not show his enthusiasm on the field.

Bettger’s Problem

He was afraid of failing and this fear kept him from doing his best. He tried to hide his fear, but it made him play safe and look unenthusiastic about the game. Because he wasn’t enthusiastic about playing for a lesser league, he took a big pay cut. But he forced himself to be enthusiastic in order to make up for that.

Bettger initially pretended to be enthusiastic about playing professional baseball. He was able to overcome his fear of failure and focus on the game, which led him to play better. His performance inspired his teammates and allowed him to negotiate a higher salary for himself. This example might seem irrelevant, but it’s really applicable in other situations because enthusiasm is critical for salespeople as well as athletes.

After retiring from baseball, Bettger became an insurance salesman. However, he realized that his lack of enthusiasm for the job was holding him back just as it had when he played ball.

In order to be enthusiastic, Bettger worked hard and decided to always act enthusiastic. As a result, he became more optimistic about his work and was able to sell his first product! So if you try your hardest to be enthusiastic, you will become more optimistic and energetic. And being energetic will make it easier for you to accomplish any task.

Big Idea #2: It’s not about you! Learn exactly what your clients need by listening generously to their concerns.

If you sell combs, will you be able to sell them to someone who is bald? You probably won’t, even if your comb was the best in the world. The fact is that people are unlikely to buy something they don’t need.

To find out what your clients do need, you should ask them questions. A good place to start is by asking about the work that they do. For example, if “X” is their business, you could ask them how they got into X or what they love about X

Understanding what motivates your clients will help you learn about their needs. Asking questions is key to understanding the client’s needs, as well as helping build a relationship with them.

The author once had a client who was so moved by the author’s undivided attention that he bought a policy without hesitation. What is the importance of this? Listening to another person makes them feel significant and lets you learn what they need. Clients will be much more responsive if you focus on their needs, rather than your own sales pitch. A certain magazine salesman had trouble selling magazines because he confused his own needs with those of his customers.

A salesman realized he was making a mistake and changed his pitch. He emphasized that his clients were busy men who didn’t have time to waste on irrelevant information, so they needed his magazine. The result? His sales skyrocketed overnight.