Did you know most salespeople are terrified?
They are. And what scares them the most is losing the people they care about because they need to make a living.
Yet nearly all the statistics report top salespeople have a broad “sphere of influence” or SOI, meaning a group of mostly family and friends who know, like, and trust them and send them referrals. So every salesperson’s boss is encouraging them to “work their SOI,” over making “cold calls.”
The question I’ve been asked hundreds of times is if all the successful sales people work their SOI, how do they maintain their relationships? That’s the question addressed by my book, Pushy: Can I Be a Top Salesperson and Still Keep My Friends?
This book is aimed at the salesperson who avoids the activities that will make them successful because they are afraid they will lose their friends and family by appearing pushy. It takes the reader from being viewed as a pest, menace, and an inconvenience to being accepted as a defender, guardian, and a protector. The bottom line is this: when someone believes in the value they bring to a transaction, it allows them to sell from their heart rather than from their head.
The new research on sales indicates while the importance of SOI is growing, the general public is getting pretty sophisticated about sales techniques. When salespeople learn to come from their heart instead of their head in working with people, it allows them to work their SOI without the pain and rejection that sometimes drives people out of sales.
Purchase a SIGNED copy of Pushy:
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Available on Kindle here:
www.amazon.com
“Every salesperson that has built a referral business knows that to be successful you need two things: A drive to build relationships with influential people and a solid system to maintain the relationship with each one. Finally, there is a book that marries both concepts and teaches the reader precisely how to have both. Jo is a masterful teacher but more importantly has accomplished what she teaches.”
– J. Swindell
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Discussion Questions for Book Clubs:
Chapter 1
Who do you know that appears to succeed easily?
What are their beliefs about the value the business provides?
Do you know someone who struggles consistently?
Compare their beliefs to the successful people you know.
Chapter 2
Describe a situation in your past where your Thinker and Believer came into conflict. How did your Regulator resolve the conflict?
Does Jack’s problem resonate with you, if so, how?
Chapter 3
In your career is there someone who you viewed as an authority and always accepted their view? If so, who?
What beliefs do you currently hold that you received from that authority figure?
Did you commit to listening to your self-talk as Chapter 3 suggests? If so, what did you hear?
Chapter 4
What are your top 3 limiting beliefs discovered in the exercise?
What impact do you believe they have on your business?
Chapter 5
What did you discover from listening to your self-talk?
What are the barriers that could prevent you from implementing affirmations?
Chapter 6
How do you believe creating a vision would affect your business?
What do you think is the risk of allowing yourself to create a vision?
What insights did you receive from answering the vision questions?
Chapter 7
What benefit did you receive from listing your accomplishments?
Have you implemented the 30-day plan? If so, describe your results?
If not, what is in the way of beginning?
Chapter 8
Are there situations in your life where you started to improve but suddenly stop? Would you describe the situation?
Describe a time when you ventured outside your comfort zone? How did you handle the psychological tension?
Chapter 9
Is there a place in your business where you dance really well with your customer?
How many people are in your SOI currently and how many will you need to have to achieve your goals?
Chapter 10
What process/system will you use to increase your SOI?
Which categories of SOI make the most sense in your business and why?
Chapter 11
What contact system will you use?
How will you use social media to increase awareness and interest in your business?
Chapter 12
What is your elevator speech?
Specifically, when and how often will you practice your speech?
Chapter 13
What actions will you take to train your SOI to refer you?
List the value you provide to your customers. Then write out why it is important to your seller.