Tag: Learning

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Updated Reading List

BookTaoTeChing Jane EnglishYesterday one subscriber mentioned  that my reading list consisted only of sales books yet the focus of this blog was sales in the context of the Tao Te Ching. Sheepishly I agreed that I had indeed skipped the inspiration of this blog, Lao Tze.   I have since added three books that have deeply influenced by thinking  of life and subsequently  sales.  The Master Seller cannot be successful unless their personal life is in order.  The life of the personal and life of the professional are inter-weaved in a manner that makes them inextricable.  As such I recommend these two translations and book for those interested in further understanding the Tao Te Ching of Sales:

  • Tao Te Ching by Lao Tze as translated by Stephen Mitchell
  • Tao Te Ching by Lao Tze as translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English
  • Awareness: The perils and opportunities of reality by Anthony de Mello

Again I hope you find value in these selections. They have deeply enriched my life. Click here for access to the reading list.

If you would like to discuss these books or have any questions, please don’t hesitate or contact me anytime by clicking the “contact” tab.

Best wishes,

Pat

 

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Reading List

Over the years I have been influenced by a number of great authors. Their books have opened the doors to a world of wisdom and success. Each book is unique in the various facets and aspects they  address, all have influenced me and my postings on the Tao Te Ching of Sales. I’ve often been asked by the readers of this  blog on advice on what books I’d recommend. To answer that question I’ve created a new tab on this blog with my “Reading List“.

The six books I review are:

  • New Conceptual Selling – Robert Miller and Stephen Heiman
  • Cold Calling Techniques (That Really Work) – Stephan Schiffman
  • Crossing the Chasm –  Geoffrey Moore
  • Selling to the Very Important Top Officer – Anthony Parnello
  • Spin Selling – Neil Rackham
  • The 5 Paths to Persuasion – Robert Miller and Gary Williams

I hope you find value in this selection.  Click here for the list.  Good reading!

“I cannot live without books: but fewer will suffice where amusement, and not use, is the only future object.”

Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, June 10, 1815.

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Discovering Expectations

As the bee expects nectar 
From each flower it visits, 
So too does the buyer 
With expectations of your solution.

Each sale is built on  a foundation of
Understanding the  urgency
Learning the real need
Delving into desires
Framing the budget
Building trust and confidence 
that you can deliver.

By learning the yearning 
And selling by not telling 
The seller connects with the buyer
To  find common ground

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Lost Deals As Tutors

Sales is a process of becoming.
Like budding trees in spring
They are constant in flux.
Shaped by deals both won and lost. 

While others elect to stay the same
The Master Seller knows this is folly,
A kind of death.
They learn from past mistakes 
See lost deals as tutors
For new deals yet to come.

Trusting in the process,
They are authentic with prospects 
Who see the seller as honest;
A vendor here to help.  

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Know What You Know

Know what you know,
Know what you don’t,
Move the unknown to the known,
Knowing you will never know everything.

This is the great challenge,
and the great joy,
Learning.

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Know Your Audience

First listen
to learn their language.
Then question
to understand their lives.
Next seek
to know, what they know.
Then frame how best to express solutions.

The Master Seller
Walks in their shoes,
Listening without judging
Building credibility and trust
Marketing the buyer with relevance
Spoken in the Words of the audience.

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Focus On The Hard

Question Mark

There are many tasks in sales and some you naturally attract you; organizing your desk, preparing your script, going on cold calls, tidying your contact data or schedule . These things are all well and good UNLESS you’re doing them to avoid real work. Ask yourself “What do you dread doing?” Ask yourself , what are the things you find hard to do and then consider that maybe, just maybe that’s where you’re failure lives?

Take a moment and look inward. Do you have any suppressed self-destructive traits or childhood hang-ups that are roadblocks to promoting your dream? Are you putting yourself out of business?  Today, focus on one thing you avoid. Put it on the top of your to do list. Do it right now!

See the world as it is
Focus on the hard
until the hard becomes easy.

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Learning from Failure

Poster for LearningA lost sale is a failure
And  an opportunity to learn.
If you blame someone else
Or the circumstance
There is no end to the blame.

Like the seasons
Deals are won and lost.
Make failure the  opportunity to start again,
Yet this time more intelligently.

The Master Seller
Meets their own obligations
Corrects their own mistakes
Doing what they  need to do
Demanding  nothing of others.

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Pitfalls of Comfort

Like water that seeks it’s own level, 
people seek comfort.

The master seller knows there is no learning in comfort.
They leave each morning 
Seeking challenges
Advancing sales 
Knowing the  axe is sharpened with the rough stone.

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