Can I Get A Hand?

Most sales people assume they have the upper hand when it comes to the product.

Stands to reason, you know the product better than anyone...right?

You live your product 24 hours a day...you breathe it...it is your lifeline to revenue/income and the fulfillment of your "what's" in life. The product is the smooth stone in your sling...

You better know it!

Less than half a century ago (the stone ages!), the salesperson would take their demo kit and pitch book and "own the stage". In a sales monologue (never coming up for air!) they would present their product, dazzle prospective clients with its fine array of features, and then close with an "incredible deal".

Not so easy today...is it?

A standard sales transaction is more like a wrestling match.

The combatants use Knowledge and Gold as the weapons of the contest.

To the salesperson, Knowledge is Power, or so we want to believe. From the clients standpoint, "He who has the Gold (money) makes the rules".

As a result, clients do their best to get all the knowledge they can before talking to you (the internet is great, isn't it?). Sales people try to make their solutions complicated so that the clients need them, and the battle is on for the "upper hand".

I love Seinfeld.

There is an episode where George Costanza talks about "the hand". He is referring to the upper-hand that allows him to control a relationship.  He famously laments,

"I have no power. Why should she have the upper hand? Once in my life, I would like the upper hand. I have no hand. No hand at all. She has the hand...I have no hand".

Rather than wrestling for the upper hand...there is a better way...tomorrow.

Until then, I wish you Money, Power, Success!