John Driscoll
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Sales Warrior Within
The
Sales Warrior Within
John Driscoll
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John Driscoll Š Sales Warrior International 2009 All rights reserved. No part of this book, including phrases, concepts or systems, may be (i) reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including and not limited to photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, and (ii) utilised for any business purpose including, but not limited to, conducting any training seminar, without prior written permission from Sales Warrior International. The moral rights to this material are retained by John Driscoll the author. Whilst the author has used best efforts in preparing this publication, no representations of warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of its contents and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or sales materials.
National Library of Australia Cataloguing in Publication entry: Driscoll, John Sales Warrior Within Bibliography ISBN: 978-1-921578-23-6 1. Success – Psychological aspects. 2. Success in business. 3. Selling Printed and Published by BookPal, Australia.
ATTENTION: ORGANISATIONS AND TRAINING PROVIDERS Books, training material and on-line resources are available for educational, business training or sales promotional use. For information please visit:
www.saleswarriors.com.au ii
Sales Warrior Within
In sales there are two fields of battle. One when engaging your competitors; the other when combating the doubt within your own mind. You must cross swords with both. Your allies are your customers. Seek more allies. Befriend them well. “The Sales Warrior Within� will guide you through the battles and align you to you allies. When the swords cross in battle you are no longer alone. John Driscoll.
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John Driscoll
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Sales Warrior Within
To Dad - wish you were still here -
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John Driscoll
Forward
The Pen & the Sword
Success in today’s highly competitive arena can and is compared to a battlefield and requires nothing less than what this author refers to as, “street smart application of timeless wisdom.” John’s ability to deliver an effective message, where others have failed, is the bedrock of his success. John’s effortlessness display of his theory and the practicality of its application will serve you well. He has meticulously transitioned the application of the Samurai Warrior and the wisdom of Miyamoto Musashi into the unrelenting world of business and does so without losing any of its tangible application.
For a sales force to be victorious against a corporate rival its warriors need to be able to fight! It's a pleasure to write this foreword for John Driscoll's new book, "The Sales Warrior Within." I have known John, in both a professional and personal capacity, for several years and in this time I have come to admire both his business acumen and penchant for the fighting arts. An old adage highly favoured by the Samurai Warrior of ancient Japan reads, "Bun Bu Ryo Do"---[文武両道]. Simply put, this saying reminds the warrior that physical training without equal emphasis upon scholarly pursuit can result in an imbalance. A warrior without vi
Sales Warrior Within balance is a person whose destiny on the battlefield is untenable. Liking today’s businessperson with the Samurai Warrior of ancient Japan, an analogy between preparation, mindset and tactical strategy reveals the importance of both the pen and the sword. However, paraphrasing the timeless wisdom of Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War,’ “theory without practical application is of little value to any businessperson, manager or sales team. Whether in the corporate boardroom making a crucial presentation, in the field working directly with the client, or developing a successful sales team, the combination of intellectual competency and physical prowess means that this ancient principle is just as valuable to us now in the 21st century as it ever was to the warrior of history. I am familiar with other books that target the training of international corporate sales, however, I know of no other publication as unique as this work, which lies before you. As a professional martial arts instructor, and successful businessperson, I can think of no one more suitable to deliver a message of this value than black belt entrepreneur, John Driscoll. "The Sales Warrior Within," presents a timeless message, certain to help better prepare today’s businessperson meet with success. I highly recommend this book and am confident that you will get as much from it as have I. Patrick McCarthy Hanshi 8th Dan International Ryukyu Karate Research Society
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John Driscoll
Contents Introduction
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PART ONE: BECOME A SALES WARRIOR
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I couldn’t find the manual! Stalking isn’t always naughty! Life’s a beach Real classrooms don’t have desks! A Sales Sensei called Doug You can sell to a Mystery Man Boom Dot Com Boom! How to become a Sales Warrior
8 11 16 22 29 35 41 44
PART TWO: THE FIVE BOOKS OF CONQUEST
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The Five Books of Conquest
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The Book of Earth – Your Inner Strength
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Believing in the future Basking in the present Breaking from the past
60 62 69
The Book of Water – The 7 Attributes of the Sales Elite Self-starter Courage Tenacity True Optimism Focus Harmony & Hunger in Accord Selflessness
71 73 76 80 86 89 93 94
The Book of Fire – Your Attack
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Sales Warrior Within Prospect Phase Customer Target Zone Stage Suspect Stage Prospecting Stage Sales Phase Qualify Stage Collaborate Stage Proposal Stage Agreement Phase Negotiation Stage Agreement Stage Contract Stage Business Relationship Phase Delivery Stage On-sell & Referral Stage Account Management Stage The Sales Funnel
98 99 107 110 128 130 138 145 150 152 161 163 166 167 169 174 181
THE BOOK OF WIND – Keep your mind’s eye on your competitors Arrogate Aggression
185 185 187
The Book of Void – Where everything happens Self Mastery
193 197
PART THREE: THOUGHTS TO GUIDE YOU
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How to negotiate a Sales Budget
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The 10 Guiding Principles
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1. People only “change” for two reasons 205 2. People only “buy” for two reasons 206 3. What’s in it for the individual is everything! 207 4. Always be ready for anything anytime! 207 5. Don’t break any rules; just use all of them! 208 6. Don’t buy the cheapest; it’s usually no good! 208 7. Communication has only 2 reasons & 4 topics 209 8. Don’t sell to family or friends. 211 9. Live life behind your commission payment - not in front of it! 213 ix
John Driscoll 10. Everything is subject to life!
Last Words
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Sales Warrior Within
Acknowledgements
In the year 1598 a man passed on a legacy of great insight and timeless wisdom. His name was Miyamoto Musashi. From a troubled and complex time in Japan’s history, Musashi became Japan’s greatest Sword Master. A Book of Five Rings was written by him in his late years of life and provides a personal strategy to life and the battles he faced throughout his journey. In Japan the Book of F ive Rings is the underpinning strategy behind the success of the Zaibatsu Corporations such as Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Nissan. For centuries Japanese business men have used this strategy to combat their rivals within the shores of Japan and beyond. Over the centuries the Book of F ive Rings has had limited cross-over from the East to the West. One reason perhaps is our Western mind’s need for immediate reference and context to what we read, which sometimes limits our adoption of new ways of thought. However, the parallels between our Western minds and the mind of a Japanese Sword Master are meant to be natural, not forced. This is where this book thrives. The parallels are obvious once the meaning is allowed to present itself in a Western context. The underpinning strategy of Musashi is the foundation to this book. I xi
Acknowledgements acknowledge Miyamoto Mushashi’s influence on my personal path and on the structure of this book. You can’t help but be impressed when the quality of a man’s thought transcends over 400 years. I acknowledge all of my customers over the years and I offer my thanks. They have been my ultimate teacher in business. The rich variety of people I’ve dealt with has served me well. To my soul partner and wife - “Mrs Tenacious” Tanya. Your belief is the determining factor in all things in our shared life. You bring this to the table every day we share. To the Sales Mentors and Managers I have learnt from thank you. Some were kind, some dished out tough love. As the years progress I’m still discovering the lessons that were taught and I wasn’t ready at the time to learn. Fortunately they are captured here for you.
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Sales Warrior Within
Introduction
“Boss, I’ve got a cheque for half a million dollars in my top pocket. The deal is done.” As words rolled off my tongue the taxi driver and I slowly turned to look at each other; then slowly returned our eyes northward. Perhaps I shouldn’t have shared that piece of information with the taxi driver. The windows of the taxi were down as we headed north over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The view was fantastic in the late afternoon sun and the atmosphere was triumphant. I’d just closed a five million dollar deal by selling a building opposite the Cairns Casino to the world renowned artist Ken Done. I had the 10% deposit cheque in my top pocket and I was heading back to the hotel. I was just 24 years old. The euphoria from closing a deal is addictive. I’ve enjoyed the highs and suffered the lows of Professional Sales in Australia for over two decades and I still search out the hunt that I crave. I enjoy the freedom of every prospecting call and I value the quality of life that this chosen career provides. The pages in front of you will give you an insight into what is needed to succeed in Professional Sales. There are no shortcuts, no gimmicks or silly one-liners that only a fool would believe. Professional Sales is a career that is disciplined, 1
Introduction tangible and character based. This book will provide the grounded approach to sales that you can base your career on. Professional Sales is the highest paid career in the world - when you get it right! When you don’t - life pretty well sucks! This book is designed as a concise guide for you to achieve the results found in the top 2% in your field. It will show you how to rise above the sea of economic concern in your sales career. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting thousands of sales people from all walks of life and they all have their strengths. I use the term strengths, not gifts, on purpose. Professional Sales can be learnt by anyone. There isn’t a tertiary level degree in Professional Sales that you can enrol in at this point in time which gives you the steps needed to succeed. The timing is right for one to be made available. Character based selling has matured to a professional plateau that can now be shared effectively. All sales people sell slightly different from each other. They have their own “personal style” when it comes to face to face interactions. Their personal style is an extension of their own mannerisms, personality and cultural background. These differences are valuable and need to be retained. But here is the truth - personal style alone equals failure. Success in sales requires a structured and disciplined approach to your professional and personal life.
Remember: Personal style alone equals failure. A work/life balance that expects a degree of separation between who you are at work and who you are at home is an 2
Sales Warrior Within impossible expectation to achieve. This way of thinking is simply inadequate. It’s not fair to expect you to not cross over who you are in your sales life to who you are in your personal life; or vice versa. The emotional demands of both quadrants of your life need to feed from one another in a healthy way. An integrated balance is a much better frame of reference to adopt. Who you are is the one unique quality you bring to every relationship - in business and in pleasure! The Sales Warrior Within is divided into five sections. Each section is referred to as a Book, due to its stand alone modular nature. When used together these Five Books of Conquest are a powerful combination. They will provide you with an integrated way of approaching your life in professional sales that will deliver elite and sustainable results in sales and in life. The Five Books are: Book of Earth, which is your inner strength. This will provide you with the grounding needed to tackle anything in life. It will address your future, your present and your past. Book of Water, which is your personal strategy. This will provide the guiding attributes found in elite sales professionals. The 7 attributes are: Self Starter, Courage, Tenacity, True Optimism, Focus, Harmony & Hunger in Accord and Selfless. Book of Fire, which is your ability to attack. A sequential approach to Professional Sales is mandatory. A twelve step approach is carefully crafted for you. Each step has a purpose. Each step has its place. The twelve steps have been divided into the four phases being Prospecting Phase, Sales Phase, Agreement Phase and Business Relationship Phase. In order to 3
Introduction avoid the peaks and troughs in your performance, your Sales Funnel will be presented in a practical way that will help to take control of your career. Book of Wind, which is your way of viewing your competitors. By keeping your mind’s eye on your competitors you will avoid being outflanked or overrun. What level of attention you give your competitors needs to be kept in perspective. Your competitors are your commercial enemy and they are trespassers in your marketplace. Book of Void, which is where everything happens. It is the land of opportunity between stimulus and response. By understanding your power to choose, your world is able to grow. This is where you live each and every day. This practical guide is designed to establish and accelerate your career. The information contained in these pages has been tested and refined in the field and has been fine-tuned through arduous trial and error. It’s designed to guide you sequentially and also act as a handy reference guide to refer back to at different times in your sales career. The freedom of choice that a life in professional sales provides is enormous. You choose what to do with your time. You choose how to approach your working life. With courage to grab it with both hands and the discipline to make it work - life will be rewarding! Professional Sales is a conscious choice. When interviewing sales people for a job, I always include two questions in the interview, “When did you decide to make Professional Sales your career?” and “What is your preferred sales cycle?” These two questions divide everyone into two 4
Sales Warrior Within groups. The ones that have chosen this career; and the ones that have no idea what they’re doing. You can tell when a person is thinking up stuff on the fly. A Professional Sales person consciously knows they want to excel in this career and they also have a preferred length of sales cycle. Professional Sales, as with life, is a contact sport that you need to decide to play. As with all contact sports it comes with victories and knock backs. All of which you have to persevere through with tenacity. For now, I just wanted to share with you where I was up to on that day I picked up the half a million dollar cheque.
Professional Sales is a contact sport. I was 24 years old. I just closed the biggest deal of my life so far and I had no idea how to replicate it. The deal just came together for me. I was physically exhausted from the stress and the expectations. I was ‘king for a day’ and thinking up new forms of stress at the same time. Before closing the deal I was scared whether I could ‘mix it up in the ring’ with the property sharks I was selling against. Put simply, I had a fear of failure. With the signing of this one deal I proved to myself I could succeed. Then the fear of success arrived to keep me company - the fear of keeping the success going. I share this with you because I had been selling full time for only a few years. At that stage of my career I was suffering commission peaks and troughs; emotional highs and lows. Nevertheless, the commission on this one deal was worth $70,000, so I’m not complaining. But I did know, even back then, that a better experience along the way was achievable! I was once told to never take advice from an armchair expert; which is sound advice. The truly successful people will 5
Introduction always be open to help you. So allow me to share with you how my career in Professional Sales developed, or should I say staggered along at first! The journey started at a much earlier age than you would have thought; and the fact that I made every mistake possible argues that I was able learn the lessons, not repeat them, which sees the end of most sales people’s career.
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