It’s eight o’clock in the evening. You and your partner have just sat down to enjoy a roast dinner.

You’re set to enjoy a couple of glasses of your favourite red, and the kids are in bed so the night can proceed without distraction. Just as your partner is about to say, ‘This looks fantastic, honey!’ an offensive sound smacks you in the ears … Ring! Ring!

‘Who could that be at this time of night?’ you spit! You reluctantly drag yourself from the dining table thinking to yourself that phone better not have woken the kids up.

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Small, frequent and pleasant interactions with your salespeople that fail to engage and guide customers towards your value proposition are hazardous for your business health.

Seemingly innocuous, when a customer initiates contact with your business and receives little more than a pleasant smile and welcome, you can be sure your business is drastically underperforming.

Mid last year, I walked into a commercial printer. I asked to speak with someone that could assist me with my regular printing requirements. The receptionist offered a pleasant greeting, but she couldn’t help me directly nor was there a person qualified in the office. I responded, that’s ok, I may call back in later. Her, response, “ok, thanks, have a great day.”  I then trotted up the road to another print company, and we’ve been doing regular business ever since.

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High-performing salespeople (hyper-salespeople) are on the edge, constantly pushing the boundaries to improve and gain an advantage.

Competitive by nature, they hate to lose. Every opportunity is a chance to express their skills and commitment to their cause. They value their time and take what they do seriously. To fail is to completely invalidate their efforts, and in ways, who they are as people.

For many hyper-salespeople their role is more than a job, they consider it a body of work. Insert just a few of these types of high performers into a sales team and you’ll see any business radically transform.  So how do you develop and support your core sales to team to evolve to super stars?

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“$1,200” Lily snapped. “No way, too much” I retorted.

The four feet two pocket-rocket then snatched the calculator from me and punched in a counter offer… $1,000?! “No, no still too expensive” I scoffed. Back and forth went the calculator like a tennis ball fizzing over the net in a grand slam final.

Deep into the fifth set, Lily’s frustration became obvious, her friendly eyes morphing into a glare. I had barely moved in our negotiations, while she had discounted to 10% of her initial asking price.  But that’s how the game is played in downtown Shanghai, China.  This bustling market scaling up multiple stories high — replete with all the delights and junk a discount hungry tourist can buy.

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One of the most powerful skills you can develop is your ability to listen.

You may have heard me say, “The best way to be interesting is to be interested. The reason this principle is essential is because it makes your customers feel important. This feeling is so powerful it will help your customers filter through your competitors to find and connect with you.

We have all met people who are poor listeners, and we judge them as being either ignorant or arrogant. And fair enough some of you may say. But just because someone doesn’t listen intently to you, doesn’t necessarily suggest they are not interested in you. It could simply mean they absorb information in a different way.

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How hard is it to find good old fashioned service these days?! I mean the kind of service that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?

The type of interaction between two people that creates such a meaningful experience for you ― you just have to tell other people about it?

We all love great service. So why then is it so bloody hard to find?! Great service is not that difficult to achieve. All it takes is some commonsense and a willingness to make other people feel good. It’s that simple. In fact, it’s so easy anyone can do it and it takes very little effort.

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