Diet and Sales
What a weight-loss diet has to do with the art of selling
"Having tried most of the diets out there (so far I've lost more than half a ton), and with more than 25 years in sales behind me, I've found that the two fields have a lot in common." So says Izhak Peled, CEO of Talnir.
In both cases, the main problem is one of mindset on the one hand, and of changing habits and behavior patterns on the other. Over the years, most chronically overweight people have built up a whole set of distorted habits and a mistaken view of food.
"I went to dietitian number 6 and complained: 'You thin people will never understand us,'" Izhak recalls. "'Not true!' declared the bony dietitian. 'I give in to a slice of cream cake now and then, just like you. Only on that day, I skip my potato...'
"'My potato'? That's a thin person's expression. We fat people don't even have such a concept," I replied. In sales, the right mindset is the very foundation of the profession. I've met many salespeople who saw their job as "information providers", "consultants", "floor attendants" and the like. They built the entire sale on a string of glowing statements about the product or service, packed with superlatives. Research from recent years proves that the opposite is true. Consumers have become wary, sensitive and experienced. They aren't easily swayed by sweet talk, and they've built up defenses against any pushy attempt to persuade them.
Presenting the product is a secondary part of the sales process. Most of the effort goes into understanding how the customer sees the world, and into building trust and cooperation. Moving a sales team from a mindset of reciting memorized spiels to a results-driven approach that goes for the "close" is a central and important challenge for anyone who teaches this field.
Just as a dietitian works hard to change the chronic overeater's distorted eating habits, sales trainers work to change selling habits. The shift from intuitive, improvised selling to structured, systematic selling is known to be a hard one, especially for veteran salespeople who've internalized the wrong approach.
"'Watch a thin person and do what they do,' dietitian number 8 advised me, back when I was marketing manager at a high-tech company," Izhak Peled recalls. "So at lunchtime I stuck close to the company's slender office manager. Since she was the one in charge of the kitchen, she got a monstrous schnitzel whose edges spilled over the sides of the plate. I'll put on weight just looking at it, I thought, but I asked for the same. Only at the end of the meal did I realize that I had polished off my whole plate, while she had nibbled one corner of her schnitzel and left the rest..."
In sales, too, it isn't enough for a young salesperson to watch what the seasoned veteran does and try to copy him. It's hard, and sometimes impossible, to adopt someone else's behavior and way of expressing themselves. The result is pitiful and unconvincing. Complex methodologies and sophisticated tools have been developed for exactly this, and they're essential for the process to succeed.
Some companies, whether for prestige or to save money, tend to have one of their own senior people train the sales team. "These people surely sell pretty well themselves," Izhak argues, "but they usually lack a deep understanding of the field, essential knowledge of behavioral science, teaching skills, and the structured, up-to-date method that success requires."
I learned that "the neighbor's diet" wouldn't do me any good. The diet has to fit the patient's habits and lifestyle. "Among the dietitians I've known, there's a wide range too: on one end, serious professionals with real knowledge and experience, and on the other, those whose qualifications begin and end with the fact that they're thin themselves..." says Izhak.
It turns out that change is hard to make without outside help. In sales, an outside expert who guides the process has a great deal of influence. The experience and authority he brings win the learners over and make sure they actually apply what they've learned in the field. A good trainer doesn't consider the job done once he's taught the material; he supports, encourages and stays with the team over time. A supportive environment, a listening ear and a commitment to talking through, analyzing and internalizing the change are essential in both fields. I'd rather have a dietitian who "has been there" than one who learned it all from books. Only she can be a role model for me, only her words will be taken as seriously as they deserve, and she'll understand me better, too. In the same way, a sales trainer needs many years of hands-on experience, on top of theoretical knowledge of behavioral science and the ability to teach.
Experts say that a tendency to gain weight is genetic. By that logic, the saying "once fat, always fat" holds true. If so, how do we explain all the people with a clear tendency to gain weight who lost it and kept it off?!
About salespeople, there's the saying: "Salespeople are born, not made." Having trained thousands of salespeople at hundreds of different companies and organizations, I can tell you with certainty that it isn't so.
Of course, some of us are blessed with a way with words, good looks, charisma and so on, but that's not enough. "I've known salespeople who were a perfect fit for the rare and much-recommended combination of 'empathy' and 'ego drive' (the hallmarks of the ideal salesperson), and still couldn't sell a syringe to a junkie," says Izhak. On the other hand, I've met many who learned the craft out of genuine interest and a desire to succeed. Some of them are now among the best sales and marketing managers in the country. A few of my students went on, over the years, to become successful trainers in this field themselves.
Another factor that matters in both fields is, of course, the environment. Like the proverbial "Polish mother" (the classic Israeli image of the mom who's always pushing food) who makes her kids eat, "show some respect for the table", "not leave anything on the plate", and links "eating a lot" with "being healthy"... the same goes for an organization that grows "consultants" instead of salespeople.
In a system where "persuasion", "selling" and closing a business deal are seen as dirty words, even a high-quality salesperson can fail. That's why most of the people in the organization are usually brought into the training.
True, it doesn't work for everyone. In a group of about ten trainees, there will always be one or two whom no amount of training will help. In those cases, the training becomes part of a screening process. Still, once the necessary change has happened and the new tools are being put to good use, it's easy to see, both in the company's business results and in the salesperson's personal behavior.
Just like someone who's just slimmed down, a salesperson enjoys it when people notice the change. Miracle pills and potions don't help in the long run. Having spent money and effort on them encourages the dieter to use them heavily (cognitive dissonance), but in the long run he slides back into his old habits and balloons again.
In sales, too, there are no miracle cures. Only an intensive, professional, ongoing process will bring real, lasting improvement.
Still, the core problem in both fields is holding on to the achievement for as long as possible. If you settle for a one-off effort, however successful, there's a real danger of slacking off and slipping back into old habits. That calls for constant follow-up, refreshers, practice, field coaching, group discussions, and ongoing supervision and rewards, but the result is worth it. The fat person who's lost the weight is happier, healthier and better looking. In the same way, a properly trained salesperson will bring an immediate rise in sales and profitability, and with them, satisfaction.