The worst way to sell anyone anything is to put a pollster in front of you, identify what they tell you people want and then seek to give it to them.

Precisely the way it is done in American politics. And exactly the way to leave the people wishing there was more than an echo in the room.

Great salespeople recognize the power of giving people not what they want, but what they never even thought they could expect.

Just the other day, an MSCO team member went to a mobile phone store to buy a new phone. The salesman could have simply given her the phone of the week, as advertised in the newspaper and online.

But he went light years further. He asked her how she uses it when driving.

He asked. He brought it up. He went beyond the confines of a standard transaction.

He discovered, as I think he suspected, that she was relying on dated technology to drive and talk. To rectify that, he recommended that he install a hands-free Blue-Tooth powered set up operated through her steering wheel.

Nothing revolutionary in the global scheme of things, but far more than she dreamed of when she set out to visit the store. He surprised her. He delighted her. He was not acting as a salesperson. He was serving as an expert and a friend.

Had he simply sold her a phone she would have told no one. Because he provided her with something that changes her daily life for the better, she refers everyone to him.

She is now his own marketing machine. She is a customer for life.

Mark Stevens

CEO

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Everyone wants to win new customers and clients. Nothing special or heroic about that. The hunt is exhilarating and the catch is pure joy. Succeed at it often and the business flourishes.

Or does it? There is another component to this equation we can easily overlook.

What do we do when we lose customers or clients? Do we even know when we have lost them? Do we chalk it up to their unreasonable demands and simply move on to other opportunities?

All too often, our response to the ones that got away pales in comparison to our lust for their ones we don’t yet have. This is not good business. We must treasure the customers and clients we have, discover why they would want to leave, and do everything possible, with class and finesse, to win them back.

Here too Invisible Selling comes into play.

About a year ago, I stopped shopping at a clothing retailer where I had been an addicted customer for years. No unpleasant experience had occurred. The buyer simply changed his merchandise selection and I was no longer enthralled by the selection.

Through its CRM system and attentive sales staff, the retailer recognized my defection and, in a major departure from the great mass of businesses, really cared about this and set out on a silent mission to win me back. When others would think Mark is just one of thousands of customers, this store said to itself, and then to me, Mark is indispensable. Not because he is Mark, but because he is a customer.

With this in mind, the salesperson sent me a hand written letter inviting me back, complete with a $200 gift certificate. When I failed to respond, she called, not to complain, but to ask if I would stop in for a personal catch up and a cup of coffee.

As we talked on the phone, the conversation turned to the fact that I was no longer happy with the store’s merchandise selection.

“You know we want to do everything to please you Mark. What would you have us stock that would bring you back?”

I mentioned a clothing designer whose shirts I favor and then we went on to talk about family and mutual friends. I made no promise to return to the store and I was not asked to.

And then within a week I received a package at my door with one of the shirts I like, beautifully wrapped, with a thoughtful card- all compliments of management.

I am a customer again. The one that got away was brought back through kindness and care. I wasn’t treated as one of thousands. I was treated as indispensable.

That is powerful. That is invisible.

Mark Stevens
CEO

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Imagine walking up to someone and asking him or her to buy something from you.

Happens every second. Nothing unusual about it at all.

But what if the person you asked to buy from you wanted, quite naturally, to see what you are offering. And you refused. Would your prospect still buy?

Happens every second. Nothing unusual about it all. Extraordinary and majestic yes, but not the least bit unusual.

Every time someone acts on the basis of faith, they are doing so without seeing the product. Every time someone starts a business with nothing but a dream, they are acting on the invisible. The same goes when you fall in love or listen to a soaring piece of music or conjure up a wonderful idea.

It’s all invisible and it’s all delicious and we can’t buy enough of it without seeing even a faint hint of it, because for the most part, the invisible is more powerful than the visible.

You love your children. Can you see that? You adore your close friends. Is that visible? You feel an aura around the lovers in your life. Can you put that under a microscope? You have exhilaration in your work. Can that be filmed?

No. No. No. No.

Well, maybe that’s not true. We do see these wonders, but with our hearts.

Close your eyes and the feeling only grows.

Think of the power of the invisible and how and why you should give yourself up to it.

It is a leap of faith. It is an act of love.

Mark Stevens

CEO

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Everyone moans that they hate to make cold calls. And why not? A cold call is made by a dead person who wants to buy anything from someone without a pulse.

Okay, I’m exaggerating, but just a bit. The classic definition of a cold call is an outreach to a stranger by a stranger. The stranger trying to sell something is armed with a telephone script and a product or service they want you to buy because…well…because they want to collect the commission.
But hold it a minute. Never use the words cold call again. Would you go on a cold date? Would you invite someone to a cold lunch? Of course not.
If you are going to place a call to someone you have never spoken with before, remember you do or should know something about him or her. Even if you are calling from a list, it is a list that was selected for a reason. The people have young children or are of retirement age or have signaled an interest in buying a home.
So you know something. The would-be homeowners are excited but anxious and perhaps confused about their impending purchase. And what they want most of all is what every salesperson should always serve as: an Advisor and a Friend.
The dead person will make a cold call. The Advisor and Friend will demonstrate in the first few seconds of the conversation that you have knowledge that can take the fear and intimidation out of the purchase.
That’s a warm call. That’s the only kind you should make.

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There is no force in the world more powerful than God. Even atheists know it; it’s just that they won’t admit it.

So what do I mean by powerful? Billions of people do believe in God. Faith and belief in God brings serenity to them. Most of our laws, cultural values and morals are based on interpreting God’s views of right and wrong. God has exercised all of this power without utilizing the standard- issue tools and tricks of salesmanship. With God, and the great religions that stand for Him, faith is created and enforced through wonderful and enduring principles of commitment, honesty, loyalty, passion, and courage. The question is, why does this magnificence stay, in too many cases, trapped in houses of worship? Why don’t people-as corporate managers, as parents, as friends-live the principles they recite in houses of the Lord?

For some reason, over time, a bifurcation has occurred. The principles of religion, of spirituality, are set aside for the day of worship. The holidays of worship. All the rest can be a free for all. Nothing disrespects God and religion more than this. The fact is, religion is meant to be lived not simply read. It must be the bedrock of corporate and personal culture. We must fling open the doors of the houses of worship and bring the preachings to the store, the home and the office.

As a business person, you should not ask if your customers like your products or would recommend them to a friend. You should have the courage to inquire if they have faith in your company. In your people. In you. If the answer is yes, that’s not just good religion. It is extraordinary business.

Mark Stevens
CEO

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Every single human being in the world is a salesperson. We all have to sell something. Teachers, clergy, parents, artists, entrepreneurs, doctors, software reps.

This is our common thread. The differences boil down to two:

1. Some of us deny being salespeople.

2. Some are better at it than others.

It’s time for all of us to recognize that everyone has to sell something to someone and the more proficient we are at it, the more successful we become in managing our lives and in helping to enrich the lives of others.

Was Einstein a salesman? Of course he was. His ideas didn’t die with him.
He, thankfully, sold them to the world. And he changed it forever.

Was Martin Luther King a salesman? Did you ever see him speak to his flock?
Thankfully again, he was a wonderful salesman.

Ditto for Ghandi, Thatcher, Churchill, FDR, JFK and Picasso.

Selling is the noblest profession. It is the delivery of ideas. Everything else is just the noise that gives salesmanship a bad name.
Mark Stevens
CEO

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One of the greatest things about belief in God is the timeless and ironclad guarantee that goes with it. Our lives are filled with so many wishy washy guarantees blowing in the wind like leaves on an autumn day. Not God’s.

God says, believe in me and I will be with you forever. No strings. No fine print. No caveats.

Something to believe in. How rare and glorious that is.

As humans, we rarely do this. We get so caught up with fear of legalities that we don’t want to make guarantees. Something to believe in gets sucked into the black hole of what ifs. We can’t say this, because that may happen. We can’t promise that, because this may happen. But the fact is the people in our lives, from our children to our customers, simply want to know that we will be there for them, no matter what. Make that guarantee, where you genuinely want to and believe in the pledge you are making, and all of your life is different.

I have always told my children there is nothing you could do to separate me from you. Nothing. And in business, the best client relationships I have had have been distinguished by a guarantee. Of commitment. Of goodwill. Of trying to do what is in their interests. I have often fallen short of the mark. But that doesn’t stop me from trying to raise the bar on myself. And from recognizing the power of the guarantee.

When I was about to undergo major and possibly life threatening surgery, hospital administrators and various functionaries were asking me to sign consents, acknowledging that I might die, have a stroke or suffer another devastating outcome. They “couldn’t” assure me survival, because of the various codes they’d been schooled in. And more important, because they didn’t understand, people. And the importance we all place in guarantees.

And then the surgeon strode into my room and explained to me what I would face post surgery and the road to recovery. Politely, I introduced him. “See to it that I open my eyes after eight hours in the OR doc, and I will do what it takes to recover.”

Without skipping a beat, the man gave me the guarantee I was seeking.

“You will open your eyes Mark, I assure it.”

The man was a famed surgeon. And although he never thought of it that way, he was a master salesman. He knew I didn’t want, nor would I believe in, a legal guarantee. I simply wanted to have faith in him and to know that he was committed to my well being.

Giving that assurance is the hallmark of great salespeople.

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All of the astounding things in life are invisible: great ideas. Timeless music. Endless love. Unshakable faith.And God.

All of the greatest beings in the world worked in the realm of the invisible. Jesus. Einstein. Mozart. Abraham.

There is a powerful lesson here for all of us mere mortals. For all of us salespeople and business managers and lovers and parents. We tend to look for role models under the microscope of the visible. Watching great closers close. Observing superior managers manage.

But so often, the best advice, guidance and mentoring is in seeing what is not visible and understanding how it works. And then applying it to your work. Your success. Your life.

The fact is, nearly 6 billion people believe in a God. It happens because of the completely invisible and amazingly extraordinary dynamic called faith.

Do your customers have faith in you? Have you given it much thought? Or are you too busy creating catalogues and Power Points?

Don’t answer now. Just think about it. And then ask yourself what drives you to have faith in others. And how can you work to see to it that they have greater faith in you.

Talking a sales rep recently, he advised me that “I don’t seem to be the kind of person customers can trust. I don’t think it’s in me.”

When I asked him if had close friends , he answered “Sure.”

“Do they trust you?” I asked.

“Of course they do.”

“So,” I continued,” you are capable of building trust. Do for your customers what you do for your friends.”

Then “see” what the invisible does for your success. It will put you in another league.

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I am up from the streets. I have been poor. Not a dime in my pocket. And I know how to fight. To go through hell to survive….and then thrive. And I know the cliché “rules” of business and life that” nice guys finish last” and that “you have to attack before you are attacked.” And that the best route to success is to be manipulative, combative and ruthless. And I say that is crude and untrue and CRASS. It may lead to momentary successes but not to rich, proud, enduring, exceptional success. It is time to rethink the Sign Of The Crass and call it for what it is: shortsighted, unethical and ultimately, self destructive.

The great religions of the world-call them the Signs of the Cross or The Star or whatever their primary symbols may be-light a different path to success. Has Warren Buffet become one of the wealthiest men in the world by cheating and lying? Of course not. He has hundreds of friends and business associates who have been by his side, for more than a half century. He has given most of his wealth to charity. His sister answers the most neediest letters and sends money to those truly desperate and deserving of help.

Next door to you there are unknown Buffets. They are successful beyond their wild imagination. And they have never plundered or deceived or even went back on a hand shake. Their word is their bond. Really. The bottom and the the top line is that they are determined to lead successful lives, yes, but ethical ones as well. They don’t ever want to look back wishing they could redo it all. They don’t want to ask God to forgive them for the shabby way they have conducted themselves.We all sin. We all wish we had a life eraser. None of us can go back in time. There is no EASY button. But we can make a pact with ourselves to conduct ourselves in ways that aren’t seen as very cool today: With candor, With understanding of others, With a passion for friendship and mentoring With the goal of seeing, others surpass their dreams as well with respect for life and God We all come to that fork in the road every day: Will you follow the Sign Of The Crass or The Sign Of The Noble?

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Allow me to put that question aside for a moment. And to start here: Everyone is a salesperson in one way or another. Whether you are selling life insurance, real estate, software, cosmetics or “advising” your children on why they should put down their frisbee to do homework, you are selling.

The key questions are: how effective are you as a salesperson…. and how can you raise the bar on your performance, and, in turn, the rewards you reap?

This is where God comes in. There is not and never has been a more powerful selling force than the great religions of the world. Of the planet’s six billion people, more than 90 percent believe in a God. The miracle is, they have never seen Him. Have no traditional proof that He exists. And yet they, we, believe firmly in Him and his power.

Traditional sales training touts the value of product samples, elevator speeches, and the importance of dressing for success. God, as represented by the great religions, couldn’t be further apart from that. God’s “sell” is achieved through inspiration, faith, and commitment. All of which is virtually absent from the way conventional (and often unsuccessful) selling is conducted.

The hard truth is that much of the “techniques” used to try and sell products and services today achieve limited success or outright failure. They lack gravity. They lack substance. They lack credibility.

Respectfully, God is the Master salesman. He sells faith. And He (in the name of the great religions) does it in a way we all can learn from. And benefit from. And become far more successful salespeople for it.

Mark Stevens
CEO

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