This document discusses different types of sales jobs and strategies for persuading people. It describes a common sales job structure that involves memorizing a standard pitch and making calls to potential customers. While this approach can be efficient for companies and still results in some sales, it is an unpleasant experience for both customers and salespeople. The document then suggests a better approach is to focus the conversation on understanding what the other person wants rather than pushing benefits or triggers. Starting the discussion by listening makes the salesperson seem more human and makes the customer more open to help achieve mutual goals.

2. Once I had this sales job where we had
to memorize this long, long pitch.

3. They wouldn't even let us out in the
field (it was an in-home sales job)
unless we could successfully
demonstrate the pitch to our boss.

4. I had other sales jobs with similar
structures.

5. They give you a pitch, a phone and a
list of numbers, and away you go.

6. From a big picture standpoint, this is a
pretty efficient way sell stuff,
especially if the salespeople are
getting commissions as part of their
salary.

7. I've worked in other sales jobs that
were purely hourly wage, and people
learned pretty quickly it didn't matter
if anybody signed up or bought
anything.

8. Then the ones that could, simply said
the same, boring, pitch over and over
without a care in the world, and
collected a check every week.

9. Funny thing was, even THOSE folks still
sold stuff.

10. Studies have shown that with even a
halfway decent pitch, and a halfway
decent product, about one or two
percent of the population will buy
something.

11. From a management perspective, it's
just about getting the numbers right.

12. If you've got a hundred people making
calls, you'll get one sale for every
minute (or however long it takes to
make one call).

13. If that's enough to pay the rent,
electricity, and minimum wage salary
of all the phone-robots, then you
make money.

14. Of course, on a personal level, this is
not the best job. It's pretty close to the
worse job you could get.

15. For every ONE sale, you're going to
get 99 people that DON'T buy.

16. And out of them, you'll get five or ten
people that get REALLY angry that you
called them.

17. This is why people seem to cringe
whenever they hear anything related
to sales, or selling, or even persuasion.

18. Because for most people's experience,
BOTH sides of the coin absolutely
SUCK.

19. However, you still need to persuade
people.

20. Doesn't matter who you are, or what
you want to do.

21. Even convincing your buddy to go to
Bar X instead of Bar Y will take some
influencing skills.

22. The good news is that influencing
people doesn't HAVE to be like that
robotic hellish experience.

23. It can be fun, easy and the person
you're persuading will be GLAD you
did so.

24. How?

25. When most of those phone robots sell
anything, they spit out a bunch of
"benefits" or try to hit a bunch of
"triggers."

26. But when you persuade on a one-to-
one level, in a way where you WANT to
see the other person better off (and
you better off as well), you NEVER lead
with what you want.

27. It's always much, much easier to start
out talking to people about what THEY
want.

28. And since most people NEVER do this,
you'll seem like an open window inside
a smoke filled phone room.

29. And once you get them going about
what THEY want, they'll be much,
much more eager to help you get what
you want.

30. And if what you want is to make them
happier?

31. Even better.

32. To learn how do to this, check this out:
mindpersuasion.com