For many residential home service businesses like yours, sales are at the core of your daily operations. Whether you’re a plumber, roofer, or HVAC contractor, you rely on sales. In other words, no sales mean no work.
The thing is, we both know sales don’t come easy, but Jeffrey Gitomer has an answer. According to the King of Sales, anyone can dominate the sales landscape if they focus on two words. Can you guess it? (Hint: they are separate!)
We’ll dig deeper into what Jeffrey Gitomer believes are the two most important words in selling in a jiffy.
It’s no secret that selling is a process that takes time, energy, and effort to close a deal. That is why having a mentor that steers the ship of your sales department in the right wave is necessary.
To that end, there’s no one better to seek sales advice from than the King of Sales, Jeffrey Gitomer. Having helped Fortune 500 companies’ sales teams, there’s no doubt that his principles will help your business.
If you want to know Jeffrey Gitomer and understand the two most important words in selling, keep reading. Wizard of Sales® is here to share Jeffrey’s selling wisdom with you.
Jeffrey Gitomer – King of Sales
Jeffrey Gitomer – King of SalesBefore discovering the two most important words in sales, let’s first explore Jeffrey Gitomer.
Jeffrey Gitomer is one of the primary thought leaders and a best-selling author in sales. He has written multiple books on the topic, with his most famous one being The Little Red Book of Selling. In it, he breaks down 12.5 principles of sales greatness.
Every book on sales he releases is critically acclaimed and the Jeffrey Gitomer keynotes also receive highly positive reviews. With more than 2,500 corporate events in his lifetime, the title of King of Sales is surely fitting. It shows that people are in high anticipation of what he has to say, and Jeffery Gitomer always delivers.
Gitomer’s focus is always on the customer’s behalf and giving them what they want. He believes that if you take care of your customers, the sale will follow. His portfolio in helping businesses with sales spans around four decades. In the past 25 years, he has been the voice implementing new-age sales processes.
In many ways, Jeffrey Gitomer and Wizard of Sales® share the same principles. We both believe that the old sales process is dead and that sticking to traditional methods will only hurt your business. Every entrepreneur needs to embrace the new age method of selling because:
- The new age method converges face-to-face with digital media to meet people where they’re already at.
- The new age focuses on the message, not the brochure.
- The new age method speaks to the dog in the language of the dog. This means infusing your market’s voice into your messaging.
Training your salespeople can be a daunting task without proper guidance. You want your sales reps to be fully equipped to face clients, and we can help.
Wizard of Sales® has been actively involved in honing the salespeople of residential home services into effective closers. If you need support on this front, book a call.
Gitomer’s Bestselling Books on Sales
Jeffrey Gitomer has published 15 books in total, two of which became New York Times best-sellers. His most famous book is “The Little Red Book of Selling” which sold over five million copies globally.
His publications have frequented the lists of best business books of all time. This includes Amazon’s best sellers and The Wall Street Journal’s best sellers. What makes Gitomer’s works special is their fundamental grounding in ethical principles. Jeffrey Gitomer believes that success in sales comes from the heart of reps that solve problems and make customers laugh.
In essence, becoming the best salesperson begins with becoming the best person first.
With that said, let’s take a look at some of Gitomer’s best-selling books on sales.
1. The Sales Bible
I heard a funny abbreviation once about the Bible. They said it stood for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth, which is true for Christian beliefs. All the values, characteristics, and principles you must live by can be found in The Good Book.
The Sales Bible treads the same route but from a salesperson’s perspective. Jeffrey Gitomer’s Sales Bible is one of the best-selling books on selling and for good reason.
The book is chock-full of Gitomer’s trademark witty wisdom, offering up nuggets of gold from building relationships to handling objections. If you’re looking for a book that will shape your selling skills, look no further than The Sales Bible.
2. The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude
I always say “what a closer knows, a poser woes.” The difference between the two is that the former remains relentless despite the rejection they face. Posers, on the other hand, cave when they hear a resounding “no.”
Jeffrey Gitomer’s The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude outlines the very character of a true closer. With a YES! Attitude, you’ll find a way to remain positive even after 20 rejections. In this book, you’ll learn:
- How to keep your intensity, drive, and commitment raging.
- Attitude gems to help you maintain your YES! Attitude.
- Attitude busters that kill your roll.
This book is a perfect read for sales professionals, especially since living the sales life means dealing with rejection.
3. The Little Red Book of Selling
Jeffrey Gitomer has always believed that customers will buy into the salesperson first, before considering the solution being sold. After all, it’s better to buy from a trustworthy salesperson than a sleazy salesman.
In this book, he focuses on principles that will enable salespeople to build trust and rapport with potential buyers. These principles are based on the philosophy that people buy from those whom they like and trust. If you need help sprucing up your business’s public perception, this book could help you out!
4. The Little Red Book of Sales Answers
Thinking that Jeffrey Gitomer is changing the sales landscape is a grave misconception. He isn’t reinventing the world of sales, his books only reveal how it works. Salespeople and entrepreneurs are riddled with all sorts of questions when it comes to sales.
“What is the best way to make a sale?“
“How do I get referrals?“
“When should I ask for the sale?“
Even for a salesperson that’s been around for five years, the same question could plague them. Jeffrey Gitomer answers these questions thoroughly in this book. Through common sense and his vast experience, he is qualified to answer common sales questions.
What I like about him most is his belief that there are no shortcuts. Making sales takes hard work and preparation, so his answers are grounded in reality, not wishful thinking.
5. Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless
Here’s some salt to rub the wounds to help us better understand sales.
Satisfied customers will likely shop around and look for other solutions the next time they need your product or service. Conversely, loyal customers will return to you and even recommend your product to others.
Jeffrey Gitomer is not saying that satisfying customers shouldn’t be your priority. No. He is merely pointing out the fact that you should strive for loyalty more than satisfaction. Because satisfaction only applies in the short-term but loyalty is forever.
At the core of customer loyalty, according to him, is excellent and unrivaled customer service. In this book, he articulated 13 principles to ensure your customer service success.
6. 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling
6. 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of SellingSelling is never easy. Jeffrey Gitomer says the only way selling becomes easy is if you put in the hard work. That’s the central theme behind his book “21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling.” In it, he shares his guiding principles in selling which he has perfected over four decades.
Here are six key take away you can pick up from this selling book:
- Attract willing buyers. According to him, you make the sale 95 percent of the time when the prospect reaches out to you.
- Success is a product of believing. How many times do you negotiate a sale with a “whatever happens, happens” attitude? That’s not the right mindset. Having a YES! Attitude is imperative to your success as a salesperson.
- Use humor. Here’s one thing you should remember: if people are not listening, you can be damn sure they’re not buying. Comedic timing and humorous storytelling are powerful weapons of good salespeople.
- Showcase your value first. Value overcomes everything. When people see the value that you offer before they see the price, you win.
- Ask better questions. Reframe your questions from dull and dry to emotionally evoking inquiries. Always angle your questions toward finding their pleasure point, not pressing their pain point. You want to be the bringer of satisfaction.
- Build your online presence. Jeffrey Gitomer is a believer in content marketing, which is extremely popular today. If you could be active on social media and produce high-quality blogs regularly, do it!
7. The Little Book of Leadership
In this book, Jeffrey Gitomer teaches that leadership is not a rank – it’s an approach. People often ask how they can become a leader, but the answer is that anyone can be one. Leaders are not born, they’re made. The key to being a great leader is to motivate and inspire those around you to be the best.
2 Most Important Words in Selling — According To Jeffrey Gitomer
Now to the part we’ve all been waiting for.
If you ask business owners what they think are the most important words in selling, they’ll probably say one of the following terms:
- Customer service
- Building rapport
- Product knowledge
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media
- Asking questions
- Closing sales
While all of these answers are correct, they’re merely words related to sales. They don’t capture the exact words that lead to sales. So, what are the most important words in sales according to Jeffrey Gitomer?
“You” and “why?”
I’ll explain below Jeffrey Gitomer’s thought process in believing these are the two most important words.
“You”
People have been caught in an illusion of how the sales process works. How? Many entrepreneurs believe that the kickoff point of a sale is when customers buy their company’s products or services. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
According to Jeffrey Gitomer, prospects will buy the salesperson first before the product. In other words, the first sale is “you.”
It goes back to your company’s culture and branding. Your culture is what happens on the backend, like how you treat employees or how your processes work. Your branding (or story), on the other hand, talks about the story or message you convey to the public. This same story resonates with your salespeople.
When there is a misalignment between branding and culture, your salespeople’s story suffers. Sadly, the customer must first believe the person behind the story before committing to the sale.
Have you ever walked out of a store even though they had what you wanted because the salesperson was pushy? Whereas you bought the exact product from another store because they had a nicer disposition.
That’s “you” in action. You bought the salesperson first before you committed to the product.
Here’s another interesting fact. If the previous store’s salespeople were downright bad, I’m certain you also warned your friends about them. A problematic “you” creates a negative ripple effect that robs a company of its rightful customers.
How a salesperson presents themselves (speaks, smiles, and presents) all play a part in sales. You want to be credible and reliable first before your products gain value.
That being said, how are “you”? Does it yield customers when you try to sell it? If not, here are some fixes:
- Be passionate about what you’re selling. If you’re not, how can you make someone else be?
- You must care about the product and company you represent. Otherwise, get a new job.
- Your smile is the first thing someone sees when they approach you. A genuine smile says, “I’m glad to see you.”
- Your appearance should reflect that of a professional.
- Master the ins and outs of your solution. Answer all customer questions with grace and confidence.
“Why”
The other most important word in sales is “why.” Why should your customer buy from you? Why should they believe in your product or service? Why are they shopping for that thing? There are so many whys you need to answer in sales.
Your “why” must be clear to you before you can ever hope to sell anything. Once you know your why, communicating it to others becomes much easier.
There are three primary whys you should wholeheartedly answer first before going into a sales call:
First: “Why are you in sales?“
This is not a question of qualification but of motivation. Your why is the real reason behind your insatiable hunger for sales success. It’s what gets you out of bed in the morning and keeps you going when everyone else has given up.
Your why has to be something bigger than just making a commission or reaching a sales quota. It has to be something that will sustain you through the highs and lows of your career.
For example, my why is to make a difference in the lives of as many people as possible. I know that if I can help others achieve their dreams, then I will be fulfilled in my own life.
This first “why” builds your internal belief and motivation. The only way you can serve others at the highest possible level is when you’re passionately motivated. Be the best version of yourself first before becoming the best for others.
That begins with understanding your “why.” Ask yourself why you’re selling.
Second: “Why should I buy from you?“
The next why is a question of skill and credibility. Being a salesperson, you fall into one of two categories:
- A closer
- A poser
Closers are the true artisans that were forged in flames before they called themselves salespeople. Posers, on the other hand, are people who are in sales but lack the heart of a true closer. That’s why most posers cave at the sight of rejection, whereas closers valiantly overcome them.
Salespeople will encounter six defense mechanisms from prospects (which I appropriately abbreviated as CLOSER):
- Complaints
- Lies
- Objections
- Stalls
- Excuses
- Rejection
When you fully comprehend and understand your why, you remain finessed and smart on how you’ll address these concerns. More often than not, prospects put salespeople on a trial by fire to test how well they know the solution. A true closer will know how the solution is relevant for the customer and align them as such.
To be an effective closer, mastering the Closing ARC is a powerful tool to add to your arsenal. It is a modern-day sales technique that uses age-old communication principles. The Closing ARC follows three fundamental principles: Agree, Rebuttal, and Close, which enables one to manage customer objections.
Third: “Why your solution?“
People don’t buy products or services, they buy solutions to their problems. Every customer you meet will either have one of two problems:
- A pain point they want to be free of
- A pleasure point they want fulfilled
Both of these things are anchored on your prospect’s underlying felt needs which are: money, energy, and time. Customers should understand how your solution’s value outweighs the cost you’re asking for. You should also explain how your solution outstrips all other competitor’s products and services in terms of convenience. Finally, articulate how you can deliver the product or render the service in a timely manner.
Your goal as a salesperson is to get to the bottom of their felt needs. They will not tell you this, so it falls on you to read between the lines. Each change in tone, shift in body language, and micro-expression matters in detecting their problems. Once you locate it, sell from that angle.
The two most important words in selling by Jeffrey Gitomer are universal truths. Selling is a fundamental activity grounded on these unchanging principles. Once you master them, being a Closer becomes easier. Rejections may come and objections may arise, but you maintain grace under pressure. That’s what Jeffrey Gitomer wants salespeople to understand.
Learning Jeffrey Gitomer’s principles are easier said than done. You’ll have to read all of his books and attend at least one of his keynotes to understand thoroughly. If you haven’t read his books, you’re in for a real treat.
If you need help in honing your sales reps into the Closers they’re meant to be, we can help. All it takes is booking a free call with Wizard of Sales®.