Sales Badassery

10PERSUASION THE SALES BADASSERY WAYSales Badasses Never Sell—They Make People Want to Buy

Remember my definition of selling in a previous chapter? I define selling as an uphill battle of trying to convince a prospect to buy from you when they may not necessarily need or even want what you have to offer.

That’s why it’s so important not to just qualify prospects, but to disqualify them. Make them earn the right to meet with you; don’t be like those naïve rookies who jump in the car to meet with anyone who is willing to see them.

To fully understand this, if you’re good at sales, there’s a pretty good chance that you may have sold and closed sales with people who may not really have wanted to buy from you.

My friend and fellow author Dave Lakhani, author of Persuasion: The Art of Getting What You Want (Wiley, 2005), correctly points out that there is persuasion, and then there is manipulation.

Here are the two terms defined and differentiated, so you understand this concept:

• Manipulation: Getting someone to do something specifically for your benefit and not necessarily theirs. For example, using high-pressure sales tactics to get people to buy what they may not really need, just so you can get your commission.
• Persuasion: Getting someone to do something for your mutual benefit. You win by making a sale and getting paid for it, and the prospect gets something that will benefit them.

See the difference? Manipulation is about selfishness. Manipulators will “cold read” people ...