Why Salespeople Need to Negotiate and 10 Other Timely Sales Lessons

I am not a political analyst and this is not a political article.

I am a sales expert and enjoy writing sales-related commentary based on current affairs and my own experiences.  Currently, politics are providing very good material!

I am not advancing a political agenda with this article and for the record, I am registered as an independent voter.  Don’t read anything into it other than what I think could explain what is going on with US politics and the great lessons that can be applied to selling.

With all that said, can you explain what is going on with the rise of Donald Trump?  When I observe this phenomena through my sales lens, I come away with some interesting explanations, conclusions and even better lessons. If you are willing to stay with me here and continue reading, I will share them with you shortly.

It was said that early on, Trump tapped into the anger and frustration that many people were feeling about DC politics.  But along the way,  Trump offended people, said things that weren’t exactly true, and made the primaries all about him.  Yet, more people voted for him than the other candidates.  So how can we explain that?

People are sick and tired of where this country is heading. For example, we live in a country that was founded on religious freedom but it’s no longer OK to say, “Merry Christmas!”  

Trump simply says what he thinks.  Most professional politicians think the exact same thoughts that Trump is thinking but they only say what they consider politically safe. If it could upset voters, they won’t share their private thoughts.  Professional politicians are among the most flawed people on earth!  You don’t need much of a memory to recall presidents, vice presidents, senators, congressmen and governors who were guilty of adultery, pedophilia, drug use, fraud, extortion, conflict of interest, treason, theft, breaking and entering and perjury.  As a group, they aren’t better people than Trump, but they want us to believe they are.

People really enjoy Trump’s willingness to say what he thinks, even when it isn’t accurate.  Some accuse him of being uninformed.  Others say he is ignorant.  Some claim he is a liar.  So that makes him just like us, doesn’t it?   We are all opinionated, judgmental, often wrong –  flawed people.   Somehow, and in some strange way, by being like us, instead of better than us, he becomes credible to us.   My next choice of words may be a stretch, but I believe that this authenticity is the foundation of his appeal to many.  He didn’t give speeches. He just came out, talked to huge crowds, shared what was on his mind, and enough people loved it and voted for him until he became the presumptive GOP nominee.

Along the way, the Super PAC’s spent more than $100 million on negative ads in Florida and Indiana to Stop Trump.  And what happened?  It didn’t work – not even a little – and he earned huge victories in those states.  But why didn’t it work?  

We have already established that people like him because they believe he is like them.  Then, when the self-righteous GOP leaders tried even harder to discredit him, more and more people become even more and more angry because it was yet another example of what is wrong with this country.  

In my opinion – and it’s just an opinion that you are free to disagree with – I don’t think that this is really about Donald Trump, as much as it is about our representatives and party leaders failing to listen. And when the establishment stops listening to the people – the voters – and tries to impose their will on the people, there will be an uprising.  We saw it all over the Middle East and it’s happening in a more subdued, civil way, here.

It seems to be less about Donald Trump and more about what Donald Trump represents:  Someone who is simply able to express his thoughts and feelings, while running for the highest public office, without worrying about being politically correct.  Does this make him a great presidential candidate or qualify him for the office of president?  Not really.  Does he represent the voice of many people?  Yes.  And that’s what professional politicians worry about the most – That the people might actually be able to elect the president that they want, instead of the president that the party leaders want.  The party won’t be able to pull the strings anymore!

We are beginning to see all of the same things that occurred with Trump taking place on the Democratic side with Bernie Sanders.  He may not be as offensive, impulsive or wrong, but more and more people are finding him equally authentic.  The people are speaking but is anyone listening?

Finally, if we translate all of this to selling – that is the point of this article – there are ten great lessons that I have listed below:

• Relationships – people don’t buy from people they don’t like and Trump got more than enough people to like him.
• Differentiate – Trump didn’t make speeches. He talked with people – large auditoriums and stadiums filled with tens of thousands of people – had fun with his audiences, and was different from every candidate they had ever heard.  Salespeople must stop making their formal presentations so boring and begin to talk about what is important to their potential customers.
• Authenticity – Prospects can spot a fake and voters can too.  The voters know what they are getting with Trump – no surprises – something that most people can’t say after what happened with 8 years of Obama.  Customers think the same way.  They want authenticity.  As the saying goes, The Devil they know…
• Product Knowledge – I’ve been training salespeople for more than 30 years and the one thing I have witnessed in nearly every company I have helped is that the top salespeople are very rarely the individuals with the most product knowledge.  It is always the other way around.  Those with the best product knowledge (remember Cruz and Rubio?) usually fail to connect with their prospects because they come off as know-it-alls!  It is obvious that Trump has the least political knowledge of all the candidates (ever!) but he has connected and that is what people will buy.
• Competition – Trump got away with giving his LESSER opponents nicknames – like “Lyin’ Ted” and “Little Marco” and now, “Crooked Hillary.”  People seemed to be generally humored by the demeaning nicknames.  But when the PAC’s mounted an all-out negative war against him – the front-runner – people were unswayed.  You can’t talk negatively about competitors when those competitors are favored by your prospects!
• Flexibility – Trump altered, edited, modified and changed his message as he went along.  He listened and when possible (for him), adapted to his audience.  It’s all about listening to feedback and responding.  Salespeople must be better at listening to feedback and modifying their message if they hope to succeed.
• Perseverance – He began as one of 16 GOP candidates and was the last man standing.  Sales is like that too.  Whether it’s 16 attempts to reach a decision-maker, 16 competitors, a 16 month sales cycle, 16 follow-ups, a 16-page proposal, a 16-person committee, or a $16 million opportunity – you can’t win if you give up.
• Messaging – It started with “We’re gonna build a wall on our border and Mexico will pay for it” and the sound bites continued from there.  His early messaging resonated! Salespeople need clear, concise, messages that easily help to differentiate them from their competition.
• Compelling Reason – Whether it’s anger, frustration or opportunity, people will change their opinion, their direction, their vendor or their vote – when they have a compelling reason to do so.  Trump tapped into the compelling reason of the masses.
• Value Proposition – Salespeople need to be better at Quantifying the problem they are solving, qualifying the opportunity and talking ROI.  Trump never stopped doing this. Whether it was his poll numbers, the trade deficit, the federal budget, or the fact that his opponents hadn’t done trade deals, he consistently hammered home his unique value proposition.

Whether we choose to get on the Trump bandwagon – or not – and whether he wins in November – or not – we can all learn to apply some of the things he does so effectively.  Some of it is well thought-out and purposeful while others, like his tweets, appear to be impulsive.  I don’t recommend personal attacks, name-calling or lying, but the lessons learned from connecting, messaging and repetition are – to use his words – HUGE.