Seize the Sale

Here is the Carpe Salesem philosophy:

1. Seize every opportunity. Not just the sales opportunity, but opportunities to serve others in memorable ways that lead to relationships.
2. Enjoy the sales process. Don’t just seize the sale; enjoy it. Make use of your passion and your customers will love you for it.
3. Help your customers. Offer valuable insight and solutions. Become known as a resource—someone who is helpful, rather than someone who is just looking for a commission.
4. Be prepared. Plan your day the night before and come in to the office (or better yet, to a customer appointment) with your sales guns blazing. Understand the importance of Monday morning and Friday afternoon. You can put in eight productive hours (four on Monday, four on Friday) while your competition is either hung-over or leaving early for happy hour.
5. Be responsive. I have a rule that I ALWAYS follow—ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS respond to EVERY customer contact (whether it be a voicemail, email, instant message, text message, or smoke signal) before you go to sleep. Even if it’s 3a.m. and the only thing you have the energy to write is, “Hey Mr. Customer, thanks for the email. I wanted to let you know that I received it and that I am working on a great solution for you. I’ll be in touch tomorrow with an idea and answer to every question you’ve asked.” My rule does not result in perfect service, but it works. It puts the customer at ease and it shows them you care.
6. Be friendly. A smile costs nothing, but it’s worth millions. Being friendly sets the tone for a great relationship. And a great relationship sets the stage for big sales. I landed the best account of my life by befriending the biggest jerk in my industry. Turns out, he wasn’t that bad of a guy. He just didn’t know how to smile.
7. Be memorable. Differentiate yourself from your competition with creative ways to serve your customer.
8. Be studious. I’m not an expert at sales. I’m a student of sales. I’ve been that way since I started selling 20 years ago, and I’ll stay that way until I die. Staying a student means I learn something new every day.
9. Be inquisitive. Instead of telling your customer everything about YOU, ASK your customer about their needs—and don’t stop until you know everything there is to know about them. Your competition will be reciting features and benefits, marketing drivel, and lines from Cheap Sales Tricks 101 while you’re finding out how to actually get your customer to buy. It’s up to you: Don’t ask…don’t sell.
10. Be persistent. Nothing says Carpe Salesem more than persistence. And the key to mastering the elements above is being persistent in everything you do. Don’t quit until you know in your heart it’s over. If you have to ask yourself if it’s over, it ain’t over. It’s only over when you sincerely believe that you can no longer be of service to your customer.