Have you seen the TV show Barter
Kings? It airs on A&E and I think it's worth watching. I'm
not sure just how staged and scripted the
show is, but that's not the point. I say Barter Kings
is worth watching, for all people in sales, and anybody who has to
negotiate in general. These guys obviously know what they're doing.
When you watch Steve and Antonio (the
two main characters) negotiate a barter deal, it's ridiculous how
often they clean the floor with their opponent. Being so one-sided it
clearly indicates a lot of editing. But if you can ignore all the
Hollywood magic there are plenty of gems to pick up. First, and
foremost, is the importance of asking questions.
In every deal you'll hear one of the
guys ask why the other party wants to get rid of (whatever it is
they're offering for barter.) Like moths to a flame, the other
person almost always answers. Then the boys use that information as
the exact reason the deal (which in invariably lop-sided) should be
done. It's salesmanship 101. At one point, I'm pretty sure I heard
either Steve or Antonio mention they used to sell cars. It's a small
wonder because they've obviously got some skills.
If you've been in sales for any length
of time, you already know the importance of asking questions. One of
my favorite paradoxes is, “Questions are the answer.” But just
because we know the importance of questions doesn't mean we always
remember to use them. We all know the importance of eating healthy,
but we often seem to forget, don't we?
What questions do we ask? Good
question! Why not reflect on the advice of Neil Rackham and his SPIN
Selling method? This system came out a long time ago but it's still
highly effective. The acronym stands for Situation Problem
Implication Need-Payoff. I won't get into right now but I will soon
be posting an overview of Rackham's book. Do you think that would be
helpful? If you send me an email I will send you the SPIN overview right now. Do you think you could use that?
Over the years, I have read numerous
definitions of what it means to be a salesperson. But, unfortunately,
I've never read one that really sums it up. So I came up with a
definition of my own. To me a salesperson is, “A self-promoting
problem-solver who is paid to persuade people.” However you wish to
think about it, solving problems is at the heart of what sales is all
about. Knowing this it becomes much easier to create good questions.
Just think of the problems your product or service solves and then
develop questions around those problems. You want questions that will
probe your clients for needs. You will also want questions that will develop
those needs so as to make them strong enough to get action.
In the meanwhile, check out Barter
Kings. It's a good reminder of the importance of asking
questions. An interesting, and added, dimension is the fact that
Antonio has Tourette's syndrome. You can tell when the negotiation is
a bit tense because he'll tend to exhibit a tic. The way I look at it
is why not learn something while you're being entertained? It's the
reason I still love that show Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe.
