Fishing for Leads

The studio became suddenly quiet on the set of the game show, Password. The teams were tied and time was running out for the defending champion. Small beads of perspiration dotted his upper lip as he glanced repeatedly at the small card in his hand—the card that held the secret password. The home audience heard the announcer say in hushed tones, “The password is Salesperson.” Nervously the champion began. “Uh, sleazy!” He blurted. “Drug dealers!” his partner shouted with only seconds left in the game. The clues continued. “Uh, uh, obnoxious...slimy...uh, pushy! The contestant suddenly blurted the answer, “Salesperson!” “That’s it!” the host screamed, “You’ve won a brand new car!” The crowd went wild. The defending champion won a new Chevette and a year’s supply of York Peppermint Patties. And we, who make our living as commissioned salespeople, were not at all entertained by the public’s image of salespeople. To parody the country western song, “Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be salespeople. Let ‘em be doctors and lawyers and such.” Those of us who select sales as a career have an image problem. I started selling when I was thirteen years old. I didn’t learn to sell correctly until I was twenty-four. But I thought I could sell when I was thirteen. Maybe you did too. I’ve been a straight commission salesperson for more than thirty years now. And after personally selling and managing sales groups, most people who love to sell usually hate to prospect. Most would say, “Bring us qualified leads and we’ll close ‘em.” But finding new people to do business with has been, and always will be, the single most important aspect of the sales game. This book is designed to do one basic thing for you: teach you how to develop a never-ending chain of new business. To be able to move to a new community and in ninety days have all the business you need is a powerful skill. To walk into a room full of people you have never met and walk out with several qualified leads is peace of mind for straight commission sales people.