Burke on Challenging People

 

“He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill.”

– Edmund Burke (1729–1797)
Irish philosopher and statesman

You can draw value from a naysayer or cynic by remaining objective and positive in your thinking. (yes, it can be tough)

Occasionally, they’ll point out valid hurdles or challenges you haven’t seen. With their help, if you can remain objective (and keep your ego in check), you’ll have a better chance of getting something valuable from the interaction.

Chinese on Friction and Challenges

 

“The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.”

– Chinese proverb

You don’t know everything.

You do know that, don’t you?

Continual learning is a basic necessity to professional improvement and in many cases it’s other people who will help you get there.

But only if you’re coachable. Are you?

To be coachable means to be…

  • Approachable
  • Attentive
  • Receptive
  • Curious
  • Objective
  • Trusting
  • Shapeable
  • Confident

It means you listen with the intent to learn rather than to show what you know – exactly the type of listening required in the sales process.

Curie on Loving the Challenge

 

“I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy.”

–Marie Curie (1867–1934)

Polish-born French physicist and chemist

two-time Nobel Prize winner

Embrace the objections of your prospects and customers.

Right now and over the next several weeks, position in your mind the regular objections you hear as not only an inevitable step to bringing in more business, but also a positive step. Objections confirm a level of need or desire for your product or service and help you better determine the next steps you should take in a sales process. For the prospect, it’s your responses to the objections that help validate or support their buying decision.

This is the reason the responses to your top objections (those you and your team hear most often) must be planned and prepared with a professional’s level of attention.

The keys… Appreciate. Validate. Be direct.

_________________________________________________