To evade, block or counter (Part 1)

In a fight, when the opponent is attacking you, basically you have three choices - to evade, block or counter. Evading gives you a chance to monitor the situation and you stay unharmed. If you chose to block, there is always some contact, but the attack breaks or starts over again with another attack. With counter attack, you chose to take advantage of the situation and try to strike where you seen an opening.

In sales, you have the same options when your customer is trying to object your sales pitch or starts questioning you before agreeing to buy. You can try to evade the situation and lead the conversation to another direction. The second option is to answer the (sales) objection and show that you are an expert in the field. The third option is to challenge your customers thinking and by using your knowledge, outwit your customer.

Like in a fight, in sales you can’t always use the same tactic. You need use all of these approaches in a single sales conversation. The big question is when to use which?

Evading (try to find the rhythm)

In a fight, the first thing I try to do is to find the rhythm of my opponent. This means, that I try to find out how fast he is with his attacks. How well does he moves and what kind of sequences is he trying to use when trying to attack me. Evading and keeping the distance is the best way to feel comfortable and avoid risks. With full contact fighting, it is better to avoid the contact, before you feel comfortable. In the beginning of the fight, the surprise attack is the most dangerous. You don’t know what to expect, therefore it is better not to take any risks. But still, it is wise to get the opponent be the first one to attack. From there, you can start to find his rhythm and adjust your speed to his. The one who controls the speed, is the one who will succeed in his attacks.

When starting a new sales conversation, the first impression is very important. You can lose the sales in the first few seconds, if you don’t play your part well. The prospect often waits for the sales person to start the conversation, but don’t push it too far. Try to see how she wants to play it. Start with being polite and ask simple questions. When you introduce yourself, try to get her to talk more about herself. Some people are easy to lead into conversation and some more difficult.

Open questions are good to start with, but if she gives you short answers, you are have not found her rhythm yet (meaning that you have not connected in the conversation) or you are asking too difficult questions. If it feels like interrogation, then the flow is lost in the beginning. Your body language, words and other expressions should invite your prospect to a warm and intriguing conversation.

Evading also means that you lose the tension. In a fight, it gives you time to relax, but at the same time you have no chance of attacking back. In sales, the conversation feels nice, but gets you nowhere. When you have found the rhythm, you need to start getting points. More about this in my upcoming posts.

Background

Background

I started to train martial arts at the age of 12. I somehow had always been interested in martial arts, not the sake of fighting but something else. But still it was a coincidence that I started to train with my friends, who had seen a show of Korean masters performing in our town. I don’t think I would have like the show that much and it was better that I didn’t take part in it, but went directly to the training. Best friends make you do things that are best for you, even if you don’t know what they are and why to follow. You just have to trust your guts and that is what happened to me a long time ago, and it took me to a journey, I never could have dreamed of.

My first real sales experience was at a telemarketing firm, where I sold magazines over the phone. I knew I needed work experience, since I would not make a living by teaching martial arts and I had to get some real work experience. The only job I got in July was in telesales. The job was difficult. It was not easy to pick up the phone and call strangers. Some names were more scary than others and often I had decided in my head, I could not sell to that person, without even having a conversation.

When I started training martial arts, I weighed about 35kgs and had poor hand-leg coordination and very little strength. I had played different sports, so I had stamina and willingness to learn. I knew, I could learn quickly, but not being flexible was my biggest problem. Almost all my friends improved their flexibility quickly, but somehow I just didn’t. In Finland we go to sauna few times a week and everytime I tried to stretch and get more flexible, when my muscles were warm. Still, I didn’t get flexible and people didn’t call me talented. It wasn’t always fun to be the weakest and the least talented person in the dojang (training room). But the feeling, when I got the yellow belt and felt that I had accomplished something, was very motivating and I continued to train. I was the only one in my group of friends, who graduated to the black belt. In the end, I spend 100 days a year with my master training martial arts and moved abroad to teach martial arts.

Few years after my first real job in telesales, I had graduated from the university and worked a year in Ireland and found myself trying to land a job in Finland. I applied to over 200 jobs, but sales positions were the only ones I got into interviewing stage. I knew, I had to start from the bottom and thought that getting a job in sales, would be my only chance to get a career. I had no other skills to offer to my possible employer than just my ability to speak and listen. I took the first job that was offered to me and started selling advertising. 10 years later, I’ve had a successful sales career and become a sales director to one of the biggest media companies in Finland.

This blog is about how I perceive sales to be similar with martial arts. I will look into how my training has helped me to succeed in work life and especially in sales. My topics will be written from martial arts perspective and then modified to sales environment. Please be free to comment and I hope we will have insightful discussions.