Sandler Sales Technique: Selling Tangible and Intangibles

No Solicitors Allowed

acquired by Your Business Blogger(R)

ca 1971

Your Business Blogger has always been a peddler. A very lazy peddler, which meant two things:

1) I had to learn shortcuts, and,

2) I was destined for management.

A hundred years ago, I started out selling vacuum cleaners cold-calling door to door.

Cold. Calling. O Joy.

Yes, that law of large numbers worked — wearing out shoe leather knocking on hundreds of doors — but it really wasn’t much fun for me. And not much fun for the home owner either. Around 1986 or so, I sought out the smartest sales guy on the planet who had the same latitude for lazy as me.

I decided to meet with David Sandler, the founder of the Sandler Sales Institute.

After listening to him for a few minutes, I was intrigued by his system and his style, but I wanted to know more. I ventured a timid question.

He looked at me. Then he told me to get out of the room. He wasn’t smiling.

Charmaine at the highest level of sales —
Selling an idea; an intangible

He was selling.

He got my attention: I come, willing to sit through his sales pitch and he tells me, me! to get lost. The program was expensive and lightweight nobodies couldn’t afford his sales program.

Those weren’t his exact words. But close.

And, of course, I couldn’t afford it.

And, of course, I had to have it.

Among The Sandler Rules,

When faced with stalls, objections, or put-offs, you must eliminate them or it’s over.

Inspect what you expect.

You can’t lose what you don’t have.

If you wait until the presentation to close the sale, you put too much pressure on the prospect and yourself.

It was the best 850 bucks I ever spent. (It is a bit more expensive now-a-days.)

I learned to ask stupid questions (which comes quite naturally to me) like,

What does that mean?

Why am I here?

It doesn’t look like you’re interested?

And when all else fails,

Is it over?

That last one is my favorite. When at the end of the sales process and it doesn’t look like the sale is coming and you are about to get thrown out, ask,

Is it over?

In decades a-peddling I’ve only had two prospects say yes, it’s over, now get lost.

(Hint: Guys, don’t be asking this question when you’re dating. You will get many, many yes’s. Not that I’d know.)

Sandler’s Sales System is not for everyone — but it works even for those who don’t like it.

But I try to steer clients to Sandler because my small business owners work too hard. This is an unfortunate trend. The Boss should never work too hard.

The core concept of this sales program is of hyper-sales-qualification. Do not attempt without adult supervision. There is no better skill set to sell tangibles or intangibles. Selling things or ideas, Sandler is best.

I haven’t made a cold-call since.

My prospective clients call me.

This is an unpaid endorsement for continuing education and the Sandler sales process.

David Sandler died in 1995. And left the world a better place.

Be sure to follow Your Business Blogger(R) and Charmaine on Twitter: @JackYoest and @CharmaineYoest

Jack and Charmaine also blog at Reasoned Audacity and at Management Training of DC, LLC.