Dale Carnegie Sales Training

Dale Carnegie Sales Training

As we move into Year 3, we are focusing more of our efforts on contractor development and are hosting another Dale Carnegie Sales Training. I was lucky enough to be included in the first training and found it to be some of the most useful 2 days of my life. The presenter, Scott Garvis, was incredibly engaging and started off by asking everyone if they liked salesmen. He said he didn’t like salesmen either because most people in sales are not professionals.

When you meet a professional salesperson, you notice that their emphasis is more on meeting your needs and desires than pushing something onto you that you don’t need. Good sales skills require actively listening to your client to figure out their needs, desires and motivations and then framing your product in a way that they are going to care about. If you care about what they care about, they are going to care about listening to you. It is about building relationships and giving honest advice. If they really don’t need insulation, don’t tell them that they do.

This logic helped me understand why I have success in people’s homes getting them to take next steps on lighting visits even though I have no training in sales; I care more about helping people in their homes than pitching a product. My genuine desire to guide them through the process is apparent and they take to heart what I have to say. This comes naturally to me because this is how I operate in my personal relationships. It’s true that most people would rather have you listen to them than hear what you have to say, and sadly most people don’t take the time to really listen. I hope that the contractors who attend the second training work to implement the best practices Scott has to share.