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| ISBN-13: | 9781475983500 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | iUniverse, Incorporated |
| Publication date: | 05/08/2014 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 224 |
| File size: | 439 KB |
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Samurai Sales
The Modern Warrior's Guide to Selling
By Jason Griffiths
iUniverse LLC
Copyright © 2014 Jason GriffithsAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-8348-7
CHAPTER 1
Prospecting
Both Near and Far
It was a long flight, and Jin was eager to get settled in as soon as possible. Respectful greetings were exchanged along with gifts wrapped in pink paper, traditionally symbolic of genuinely liking someone and wishing one well. The embraces seemed askew from character but were by no means unwelcome.
Although Jin was certain both his uncle and cousin were sincerely explaining to him the cultural differences he would now be facing, he had to admit to himself that he wasn't very receptive to their input. Grateful? Yes. Courteous? Yes. But receptive? No. He meant not the least disrespect to either of them, but he was struggling with both the jet lag and the adrenaline hangover from the flight. He needed to get into bed and sleep for a while—perhaps a week.
Uncle D was a man of stature but was not particularly tall; he was of average build and average means. His deep voice and honesty gave him a respectable agreeability, not unlike that of a Welshman. Uncle D never needed to raise his voice to let a person know he meant what he was saying, which was no doubt one of the reasons he had been quite successful in business.
Uncle D's advertising business was doing quite well, and as best Jin could make out from under his heavy eyelids, it was due to the extra levels of service that Uncle D's business provided. "It's not just what services you're offering, Jin," his uncle was saying. "It's the attitude behind those services. I entered the advertising market at a time when it seemed to most of my company's prospective customers that we were all essentially providing the exact same packages for about the same amount of money. No one was particularly interested, you see. Jin, do try to stay awake, son ... No one was interested because marketing had become increasingly more expensive with increasingly less yield.
"I was asked by one particular manager, Mr. Brown, the PR manager at the Northgate Shopping Center, a very interesting question that I actually had to excuse myself from the meeting and think about before I answered."
Jin's nod confirmed he was listening. He was tired, but it was still at least within his faculties to take in the gist of the conversation.
"Mr. Brown, you see, was pleased that I would take things so seriously, and we arranged to meet again in the afternoon. If I could come up with a reasonable answer, I would get the job for the entire NSC!" Then Uncle D said to his son, "Go left here on Bath Street, please, Art. We'll swing past the NSC so that Jin knows how big an offer this really was!"
Art casually swung the car around to go past the Northgate Shopping Center. Art would have to wait to catch up with Jin on all that had happened and all that was to happen. His load of patience was made lighter by the fact that he needed to concentrate on the road as much as possible in Seattle's city center.
Uncle D continued. "I went down to the market ... oh, we're past that now. I'll take you there sometime soon. Anyway, I went down to the market to clear my head and think about Mr. Brown's question. And do you know what Mr. Brown's question was?"
A small sigh showed that Art had heard the story before, most likely more than once, but Jin's nod indicated that he was willing to find out.
"Mr. Brown asked me, 'How much will it cost my company to get a customer into our shopping center, and what are you going to do to get that cost down?' So I went down to the market and sat in front of the fish market, with my notebook and a cup of yogurt to keep me company. It took time. I was determined not to go away from my spot until I had an answer. Much time went by, and I still had no answer to Mr. Brown's question. All this time was going by while I was 'entertained' by the workers at the fish market.
"It was only after I opened my eyes to it that I learned the principles of being 'world famous' and discovered my answer. Ultimately, I was influenced to make a rather rash decision. It was more a moment of frustration, actually, as best I can recall. I put my neck out on the line."
As they passed the Northgate Shopping Center, it became obvious to Jin just how important a contract this must have been for Uncle D. The center was huge. They must have sold just about everything, as Art mentioned, finally able to get a word in edgeways.
"Eyes on the road, son," was Uncle D's response. It made Art's distraction from the task given short lived.
"Uncle D? You do all their advertising? Your company must be enormous!" Jin looked in awe as the center went on and on, city block after city block.
"Not exactly, Jin. We have eight exclusive contracts with similar shopping centers throughout the state." Jin's jaw dropped. His uncle must be rich! "It's not as flashy as it sounds. We invest 25 percent of our profit margins back into our clients laterally, to ensure that our marketing is more successful than what any other advertising agency can offer. It's been a long and difficult journey to get here, Jin. Though I prefer the word 'challenging' over 'difficult,' because it has a more positive feeling about it."
They finally passed the center and were on their way home as Uncle D explained more. "There are only two forms of advertising: internal and external. Externally, it is difficult to measure the success of a good or even great advertising campaign. However, it is quantifiable. Whatever can be measured can be improved upon. I went back proudly to our meeting at two o'clock and sat with Mr. Brown again. We concurred that were the NSC to do no advertising, there would be a result: people would still attend the center. Chances were that it would be less and less attendance over time, perhaps taking about a year or so to know what that result would be. We could then satisfactorily say that the difference between whatever result that experiment provided and what attendance was present would be the net result of marketing.
"As it was both impractical and implausible to perform such a test, we had to agree that advertising did provide some sort of positive influence on the attendance of potential patrons at the shopping center. Whatever can be measured can be improved upon. We just needed to design a system that was measurable. I suggested that internally, we create a system not only to get patrons in, but to reduce the cost per patron of getting them to return—measurably. It was this unique selling point, or USP, that my company would offer as a service to the NSC for no extra charge, to consistently improve upon our external results no matter how great they may be.
"The NSC now uses a loyalty card system we set up involving points that customers can accumulate and later cash in on. Every customer of that shopping center is voluntarily catalogued and will then receive a thank-you for shopping at NSC. If they return with a colleague within the next fourteen days, they will receive double the points for their colleague's purchase by redeeming a coupon. Those coupons were the measurable difference that my company would provide at no additional fee, and that's why I originally got their advertising contract.
"Everybody sells! Even a secretary who answers the phone at a doctor's office needs to sell an appointment. She may not receive commission, but any secretary who understands her position and performs accordingly is a valuable asset.
"The NSC and I have enjoyed a successful working relationship ever since those days, and Mr. Brown has long since personally referred my company further; landing me two substantial contracts in other cities. Oh, we're here."
Before getting out of the car, Uncle D turned and spoke to both boys. "It is my sincerest wish for each of you to understand things as they really are, and for you to realize that whatever path you find yourself on, you trust it is the right one for you at the moment. This may be a great aspect of personal wisdom and will provide you the inner peace to see things through, to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of everything around you.
"But it is not necessarily an intellectual capacity, just as wisdom is not just a matter of intelligence. You will have to utilize the capacities of your minds to attain, sustain, and enhance where you find yourself, no matter where it may be. All beings are subject to suffering; this is the true nature of all things. Since our view of the world forms our thoughts and our actions, having the right view yields right thoughts and right actions."
It was a little late for a lesson in philosophy, but the boys did their best to take in what Uncle D said, because he said it with such conviction. The difficulty of comprehension of his words was apparent to him even as he spoke, so Uncle D turned to lighter themes. "Get some rest, and we'll talk about what you want to do as soon as you're up for it."
A well-rested morning came to Jin, and he had made his way to the kitchen, where he found his uncle already busy preparing for the day. Upon seeing Jin, Uncle D greeted him with the sincerest of hopes that he had enjoyed a good night's sleep, and then he got straight to the point. It was by no means too early for such a conversation today.
"It's wise to go someplace you can seclude yourself, before making a big decision, so you can take your time making it. I would suggest someplace private where you can feel detached from everything else and are able to concentrate on the matter at hand; that way all your energy is moving to bring you the best solution as quickly as possible. It's not so important where you are as much as how open you are for the answer to come to you from your surroundings.
"As you are not from here; I will share with you today where I go. That location may or may not inspire you. I cannot know that—who can? I only know that this place worked for me many, many times. I will bring you there and set you off so that you can have some time to yourself. Then, I must get to the office to work on some marketing."
Jin nodded and stifled a yawn. Although having completed his morning rituals, the jet lag was still playing havoc with his alertness. Breakfast in America was going to take some getting used to. Today was a day he might have envied Art for being allowed to sleep in. Hopefully it wouldn't take long to readjust to the time difference.
After getting a few things loaded into the car for Uncle D, they were on their way. Jin wondered to himself, but he also said it aloud. "What exactly is marketing supposed to do, Uncle? How does it work?"
Uncle D replied, "Well, conventionally, marketing is seen as being just advertising. Luckily for me, most other advertising businesses see it that way as well. I see it as prospecting: it's everything that happens before potential customers enter the business with thoughts about purchasing an item or service. They may not have even heard of your product or service before. I suppose it's safe to say it's the first step in the sales process. You see, the sales process is like a circle: at any given time, you might find yourself at any given point along the sales process. Some people think of the process as a wheel having eight steps. There is always a 'before' and 'after' step, but prospecting is as good a point as any to start."
Jin stared out the car window to take in as much as possible. As they approached Seattle, there was a distinction from the green and rather winding roads that brought one to the city from the seemingly impossible weave of bridges and roads. The city planning may have been something to keep the tourists out. Uncle D made some lane changes that only a local could do comfortably, to get through the thickest street traffic before coming out into a more rural part of the city. The sun was doing its best to poke through the clouds.
Seattle people seemed to walk with their eyes wide open, and they were often engaged in conversation. Old or young couples seemed genuinely happy to be in each other's company. It was a likeable place.
"At my company," Uncle D continued, "we pick up what's weakest after the sale has been made and magnify that with an external campaign. What is very important to me at my business is that we all work very hard at having fun with prospecting. My company is very Gung Ho. Do you understand what I mean, Jin?"
"I think so, yes. Gung ho, as in having a 'go for it' or 'go get 'em' attitude, right?"
"Not exactly, although that's not bad for a loose interpretation of what results from our business philosophy. I don't mean gung ho but Gung Ho," he said with a certain distinction between the two. "Gung Ho is a business philosophy, based on a book by the same name, that I've incorporated into my business to ensure the effectiveness and stability of the people who choose to work there.
It's a very simple, three-step process that we allow into just about any area or business as much as possible, and it has worked very well for us. I seem to remember it being called the way of the squirrel, the beaver, and the goose, to make the whole thing easier to remember. It's a great read, and I wholeheartedly recommend you read it when you make the time.
"Basically, each employee spends his or her time foraging for what's to be done whenever it seems there is a lull. That way we have no seasonal downtimes. When there is something to be done, not only do we get to it, but we allow it to be done as it gets done, and we trust that it will be accomplished efficiently. That way we don't repeat the work of others unnecessarily. Lastly, we cheer each other on as much as possible, as a positive reinforcement tool; that way employees are constantly motivated to do things better than they've ever been done before. Ah, we're just about here. Isn't it great?"
Their drive along Alaskan Way provided ample places to park at this hour in the morning. Uncle D and Jin left the security of the parking lot to visit the park and go briefly down to the sea line before heading over to Pike Street. A breeze sharper than any Jin could remember gusted but was not in any way unpleasant. Uncle D and Jin continued to talk as the sea's spray refreshed and awakened their senses, a welcome wake-up call in this new foreign land.
Focus and Punctuality
White Belt
Three Rules of Concentration
* Focus with your eyes.
* Focus with your mind.
*Focus with your body.
Jin inhaled deeply and allowed the fresh sea air to permeate his nostrils. The salt in the air seemed to go right into his very being and get all the kinks out. It made him warmer from the inside by having his heart work harder to push the blood around. The salt- permeated blood traveling through Jin's capillaries even seemed to make his fingertips swell with warmth. It gave him the impression that the people who lived here worked an honest day for an honest day's pay.
Moving further toward some benches allowed the sea's mist to waft its salty scent across the boardwalk enough to remind them where they were: the land of opportunity.
Uncle D directed Jin briefly through town to a particular bench with a clear view of the Pike Place Market. Although America had a limited history, when compared to Asian or European, it managed to establish an antiquity with its marketplaces. Pike Place was no exception. Here was America; here it was kept alive. "Here, Jin, take a seat and think on your martial arts training. What was it Sensei used to say about focusing?"
Jin's fond memories of his martial arts training flooded back quicker than the sound of the next wave rolling into the breakers. Uncle D was an accomplished martial artist and had even taught him before moving to America when his regular instructor, Sensei Iura, was unavailable. Jin smiled, giving back the answer he was required to respond to hundreds of times in class, "Focus with your eyes, focus with your mind, and focus with your body."
Uncle D grinned at the loyalty and correctness of the response with a sense of rekindled pride. "Good. Now, come with me to the Pike Place Fish Market. If you apply those techniques Sensei taught you here, I am confident that you will find the answer to whatever it is that you may be seeking. It will at least allow you to discover the question. I hope the answer comes to you soon, Aramaki-San."
It was a strange truth, but it always made Jin feel good to be addressed formally as "Mr. Aramaki" by his uncle. Now, he was indeed approaching an age where he would be addressed more and more as an adult.
"I will call a colleague of mine this afternoon and see if he knows anyone who has some work available. It won't matter what you do, son; it'll just be something to do until you know more about what it is you really want to do. The right attitude does not go unnoticed, and these guys know something about the right attitude."
Uncle D handed Jin a paper with some bus routes and directions on how to get home, mentioning that it would take about forty minutes to get there. Jin thanked his Uncle for everything he had done and was doing for him. After professing that it was no effort and he was glad to do it for his favorite nephew, Uncle D was on his way back to the car park. Jin took comfort that a new routine might be closer than he thought, and he trusted that his uncle was right. It wouldn't matter what he did; anything was better than nothing, to get his mind off the things that were troubling him of late.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Samurai Sales by Jason Griffiths. Copyright © 2014 Jason Griffiths. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Preface, ix,Prologue, xvii,
Prospecting, 1,
Focus and Punctuality, 8,
Consistency and Effort, 15,
Goal Setting, 21,
First Impressions, 31,
Commitment, 33,
Courage and Self-Control, 34,
DISC, 41,
Working a Room, 51,
Qualification, 63,
Tour, 71,
Patience, 75,
Enthusiasm, 79,
Determination and Follow-Through, 96,
Handling Objections, 99,
Preclose, 107,
Balance and Flexibility, 109,
Price Presentation, 123,
Close, 131,
Referrals, 143,
Perseverance, 170,
Samurai Sales, 177,
The Creed, 186,
Appendix A, 187,
Appendix B, 191,
Appendix C, 193,
Appendix D, 197,