Dusting off High Trust Selling

Do you ever go back and dust off older books you have bought to re learn more about how to sell effectively? This week I reopened “High Trust Selling” by Todd Duncan published in 2007.  Todd wrote this book after inspiration from Dr. John Maxwell. In it, Todd lays out the fourteen laws of “High Trust Selling” that he believes are crucial to sales success.

I have used a selection of these laws when coaching my sales people and thought sharing some insights from four laws would be helpful. For a full summary of all the 14 laws of “High Trust Selling,” click on the download link at the end of this post. Let’s gain insight into my top four.

The Law of the Iceberg 

“The Truest Measure of Your Success Is Invisible to Your Clients”

Your sales success starts in your inner self, your character. Yesterday I met my old friend and mentor Philip Ong in Singapore and he summed up character as D.I.V.E. He says, “Character takes Discipline, a compass of Integrity, daily living your Values, and being Emotionally Secure.” Taking a daily D.I.V.E. as a salesperson is a competitive advantage. Customers are more likely to buy from people they see as ethical and trusting with the discipline to deliver on their promises. Be a resource to your customers that they can count on. Deliver on what you say and promise.

The Law of the Shareholder

“Successful Salespeople Buy Stock in Themselves”

If you sell, you are a businessperson. You are actually the shareholder of a small company called “You” with a “headquarter in your brain” that formulates all sorts of ideas and innovations, actions, processes and habits that promote, market and broadcast this company called “You.” Let me ask you a question, would you invest in a company run by you?

Very successful salespeople are buying stock in themselves many times a day. How do they do this is by being teachable and humble enough to realize they need to learn from others and the experiences around them.  They know that intentionally investing in their “HQ” is their most powerful competitive advantage. Daily learning and application is a hallmark of great salespeople.

The Law of the Dress Rehearsal

“Practicing Your Lines Elevates the Level of Your Performance”

A lot of Sales people have a tendency to “wing it.” In other words, they don’t practice or prepare enough and when they get on stage with their customers, they fumble their lines or miss the cues for a successful sale. I always find it amazing how Broadway actors can remember all their lines for a successful performance. It is also utterly amazing how many sales people do not spend time practicing their skills before they meet customers. Key areas of ‘rehearsal’ include developing probing strategies, concise storytelling of past successes, verbalizing your solution benefits and advantages, and researching the client’s ‘stage’ to know the what, when, why, and how to give a sales performance that allows the customer to give you the applause for solving his/her problems.

The Law of the Bull’s-Eye

“If You Don’t Aim for the Best Prospects, You’re Likely to Do Business with Any Prospect”

There’s a saying that “if you aim at nothing, you are likely to hit it.” Many sales people have trouble meeting sales targets because they are aiming for the wrong customers which leads to nothing, or, are poorly prepared to “aim and shoot” when they prospect the targeted customer.  Make sure you have identified the criteria for your ideal prospects and when hunting only aim for those that will lead to a bull’s eye. I find, though, poor sales people fail more, not in identifying the right clients, but more so not being prepared to talk to and gain agreement from the customer to enter into a sales discussion. In other words, poor prospecting process. Successful hunters know that they must be prepared to confidently aim and shoot to hit the bull’s eye. I draw the analogy of the fumbling hunter who stumbles, can’t load his weapon properly, and shoots recklessly to miss the “big one that got away.”  Most sales people only get “one shot” to gain customer commitment to a sales discussion. Make sure your prospecting call is a solid well practiced one that hits bull’s eye of an agreement to talk.

These four laws are my favorite out of the fourteen found in “High Trust Selling.” If you want to review all 14, click on this download link. I also found many copies of new and used “High Trust Selling” for sale on Amazon.com and recommend this book as quick and refreshing read for effective selling.

More successful B2B sales people build high trust relationships with customers quicker than their competitors. Work on building your “trustability” this week!