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SALES SURVIVAL
2010
Rules of Surviving the Sales and Marketing
World Author: Keith Winfree
W I N F R E E B U S I N E S S G R O W T H A D V I S O R S
Winfree Rules of Surviving the Sales, Marketing, and Business World
Table of Contents
1. Stay healthy; it will affect your success if you are ill. Exercise and eat
healthy.
2. Talk little and listen a lot.
3. Be strong; don‟t let anyone know you are hurting.
4. Build very few alliances with people that you can trust.
5. Work hard, very hard; give it all that you can muster.
6. Keep calm; ask what others think and don‟t scramble.
7. Get people to like you and trust you.
8. Besides hard work and effectiveness in what you do, being likeable is
most important. 9. You don‟t have to be in control; let things happen.
10. Be a God-centered person and let your confidence guide you.
11. Be honest or don‟t say anything.
12. Stay focused on the goal and don‟t become over confident; stay humble.
13. Don‟t do anything stupid.
14. In the end, it is who is most complete that gets the money.
15. Don‟t believe everyone and remember people will lie.
16. You must continue to acquire knowledge about your profession.
17. You must care about the product or service and your client.
18. Be frugal and live below your means.
Copyright 2010 KWCI LLC
1. Stay healthy; it will affect your success if you are ill. Exercise and eat healthy.
On my way to the doctor for my check up, I already know what he will say. “You
need to exercise for 30 minutes three times a week.” If I have heard that once, I have
heard it fifty times. Why don‟t I eat smaller portions? The size of the portions has
grown over my lifetime from 6 oz to 12 oz to 20 oz. Why? So businesses can make
more money! The more volume per person the more money they can make. However,
we all need to take responsibility for the serving size of what we drink.
My wife, Cynthia, and I have started sharing to reduce the portion size and not
waste money. Another great idea is to drink or share a 12 oz. serving. Try the V8
Fusion 100% Mixed Berry Juice for health reasons. Take a double dose of vitamins for
your age each day without fail. Walk two to four miles a day; don‟t worry about speed
in the beginning.
Why spend this time on this subject? In every race with a physical content those
who became ill or physically hurt DID NOT WIN! If you want to succeed at anything you
have to be physically fit and stay healthy. You won‟t reach your goals if you are not
healthy.
Even if you have tried 30 times to lose weight or exercise regularly, start again. It is
the way you can succeed. Be careful what you do. However, you will have to increase
your speed of exercise at times. In most cases in business, steady can win the race.
However, aggressive behavior at certain times wins the race. So many think we are not
racing against others but against ourselves. The winner is usually healthy. Balance in
life includes this rule. Use it - work on it every week and put it in your calendar.
2. Talk little and listen a lot.
I have observed the winner of a contest; they usually listen a lot. I like the idea that
we have two ears and two eyes, and one mouth; therefore, talk only 20% of the time.
You can talk yourself out of a first-place position by saying what you think. It is better to
walk away than to say something you will regret. This has been one of my biggest
mistakes.
Many people are looking for something to finally break off a relationship. Most aren‟t
concerned with who is right, but who is out of control. Those who can control the
tongue are mature; and usually the mature and steady win the race.
It is like the phrase “if you listen you can‟t be wrong.” In sales or business, the
prospect must sell themselves. Therefore, they have to talk to themselves or to you.
So, you have to listen to allow them to sell themselves. So many people I have watched
over the years break this rule and come in second, or last, place.
“Remember, always, talk little and listen a lot when you meet with your clients to
figure out the current problem they‟re facing. Then, deeply connect with your clients to
provide the best solutions to win the business.”
3. Be strong; don‟t let anyone know you are hurting.
When you are seeking to win first place, you can‟t let your worthy opponent know
that you are hurting. In the animal kingdom, he who is weak or shows weakness is
usually the one that is eaten. He who is strongest is the one who usually wins. We can
begin to paint a picture of the top performance.
Let us see what we have so far:
Careful concern for health through regular exercise and eating healthy
One who is seen to be silent 80% of the time, but who is an active listener
Don‟t tell your opponent that you are hurting. So, it is someone who is
quietly dealing with their pain and hurt.
4. Build few alliances with people that you can trust.
Why? I have observed that the more alliances you have, the more chances you have
for people to lie to you and confuse you. In history it was the alliance that brought
death and destruction to the Roman Empire. Jealousy, envy, and a sense of betrayal
flows from broken alliances. Therefore, one can reduce that bad spirit by having few
alliances.
However, it must be stated that you can‟t win without at least one alliance. All
alliances break down and new alliances have to be created to take into account the
change in the current situation. Be strong through alliances, but have very few alliances.
“Remember, always, to build few alliances with people that you can trust. In this
business world, everyone is seeking their own interest. That‟s why it is important to
build your own circle of alliances, but have very few alliances.”
5. Work hard, very hard; give it all that you can muster.
Working very hard has been passed down for generations. In working through many
companies and different cultures over forty years, I have noticed that many people think
and complain that they are working hard; however, they are only working maybe six
hours a day.
Most salespeople do not consistently do 20-30 points a day in behavior – make 20
dials. The key here is to do it for a day, a week, a month, and years. Many times when a
mature salesperson does 20-30 points a day they double their sales immediately. Others
realize that they are saying the wrong thing, talking to the wrong people, or saying
something in the wrong tone or the wrong way. One of my associates told me that
when he learned this he made more money than he has ever made before in his life.
The 20-30 point game is easy, but hard to do for many people. I won‟t say they are
lazy, but I will say that they don‟t believe. This is why you must keep up the behavior
long enough that you can see the cause and effect. You must be able to have 90 days
of data for the number of first-meetings-to-closes per month or quarter. When you know
this at a deep belief level nothing can stop you in business. My hope for you is that you
have that level of belief.
“Remember, always, work hard, very hard; give it all that you can muster. Nothing
is free. For everything in life there is a price you have to pay! Work hard to earn your
wealth and freedom. We all know we need to work hard and give our best shot to strike
the success. Now give your best shot to what you aim to achieve in life.”
6. Keep calm; ask what others think and don‟t scramble.
It has been my observation in many competitive situations that the person who
scrambles give the impression that they are weak. Stop and talk to your alliances, and
ask what others think. Many times it is best to proceed very carefully.
“When one is very close to the edge of a cliff, one should put his foot down very
slowly and softly.”
“Remember, always, keep calm; ask what others think and don‟t scramble. When
you‟re together as a team to win, you need to work together and seek the opinion of
others. You always gain when you ask, since it provides different perspectives to make
good judgments in any given business circumstance.”
7. Get people to like you and trust you.
In over fifty years of working with people, I have validated the truth of this
statement. Many times salespeople miss this most important skill. Be helpful and kind to
everyone. Promise very little. However, be a high achiever and deliver more than you
promise. All things being equal, in a competition, people will put their faith in people
they like and trust. All things not being equal, they will put their business with people
they like and trust.
“Remember, always, get people to like you and trust you. In this business world, to
gain trust is important. How? You need to work on building a trustworthy relationship.
It all begins with relationship. Trust is built over time, with consistency, persistence, and
understanding relationship interaction. When people get to know you better and find out
who you are, they will trust you.”
8. Besides hard work and effectiveness in what you do, being likeable is most important. A little technique that works is to tell people you like them and trust them. People
want to be liked. Even someone you might not like, still tell them you like them at the
first moment you can say it. Watch the reaction of the person; it is amazing how people
want to be liked. Your hard work and likeable nature together are a strong hand, or key
to outstanding relationship skills.
“Remember, always, besides hard work and effectiveness in what you do, being
likeable is most important. In this business world, when people like you for your service,
and products that you offer, you actually put yourself on top. You can gain competitive
advantage by simply focusing on providing your likeable actions to maintain your client
relationship. Therefore, be a likable salesperson so that you can win more business.”
9. You don‟t have to be in control let things happen.
People who are leaders, or what are called high “D,” need or want to be in control.
People want a seat at the table or at least have someone listen to their opinion. If you
have a temptation to control ownership, ask if they want you to take the lead. People
who take control without the group agreeing to that position of leadership are not liked
and others will find some way to knock you down from that post. Just because people
ask questions about what you are doing does not mean they want to take control.
“Remember, you don‟t always have to be in control; let things happen. Go with the
flow! You can‟t make someone do something. If you do, you will lose in the business
game. To win you need to learn to let things happen in a natural way. People don‟t like
to be controlled by someone else. Relax and learn to let things happen.”
10. Be a God-centered person and let your real confidence guide you.
God-centered is in line with the idea of the Spirit of success. A God-centered person
is kind and gentle. I call it a tone of nurturing in application to selling. Every great leader
is humble and knows that he or she must have a humble heart. (More on this in Section
12.) I call a God-centered person a “10.” Their self-worth is based on their belief, not
their behavior. Most unsuccessful people‟s identity is determined by their behavior; it
defines who they are as a person. A God-centered person‟s self-esteem comes from a
belief that is infinite and a “higher good.”
“Remember, always, be a God-centered person and let your real confidence guide
you. Without confidence, you won‟t be able to achieve your goals and become a
successful person. Belief in God will lead you to the right path.”
11. Be honest or don‟t say anything.
This concept of not saying anything is so difficult for most people. This rule has
been passed down from parent to child for hundreds of years. It is close to the truth
that says “don‟t tell someone their problem, unless they want to hear it.” I have
experienced that it was a real war if you just start telling people what they are doing
wrong without asking permission.
“Remember, always, to be honest or don‟t say anything. People seek honest
opinions. Practicing honesty is important in business so that you can gain trust and good
rapport. Be honest with your clients, always! Don‟t lie or say anything negative, unless
they want your feedback!”
12. Stay focused on the goal and don‟t become over confident; stay humble.
Staying focused, for most highly driven people, is very difficult since this is different
from their natural behavior style. Goal oriented people are those that are usually
successful, if they can stay focused.
Once people follow this rule and become somewhat successful, they need to
remember the God part, which is to stay humble. The greatest leaders in the world are
those that are humble.
“Remember, always, stay focused on the goal and don‟t become over confident;
stay humble. We have to consistently remind ourselves that being humble is a God-
centered practice. We don‟t want to get our ego up too high and offend people.
Sometimes, when you get too confident, people perceive that you‟re too cocky. Always
stay humble and win. People will value and appreciate you more.”
13. Don‟t do anything stupid.
When I was younger, I would do something stupid about once a year. Now that I
am older it seems that it is not as often. Every time I do something stupid what happens
to me is far worse than any pleasure I receive from the extreme behavior. I have been
fortunate to have someone to keep me in line. My good values are a focus point for me.
Without my core values, I might not have known what was stupid; however, most
people know what real stupidity is in a person‟s life.
“Remember, always, don‟t do anything stupid that will cost you. Sometimes, people
do stupid things without knowing it can impact their life. Be a smart salesperson and
win! Don‟t do anything stupid to ruin your relationship with the prospect!”
14. In the end, it is whoever is most complete that gets the money.
Watching human behavior for more than fifty years has shown that, in a large
competition, the person that has it all, or is the most complete, usually wins the contest.
We will move a 95% success rate to as high as 98%. I will take those percentages any
day. You don‟t have those percentages in the stock market. Real estate has an even
higher risk; marriage has a higher risk.
So, the truth here is to keep working until you are a workman that is complete. My
grandfather was that kind of workman. I have continued to improve using a tracking
method, an interview sheet, and a system. Having the right belief, behavior, and
relationship is what we call, “having it all.” Go for it!
“Remember, always, in the end it is who is most complete that gets the money.
Right belief, right behavior, right relationship = money, or the prize!”
15. Don‟t believe everyone; and remember people will lie.
This rule is sometimes hard for people to accept. I have experienced that people do
a lot more lying today. Even the people close to me have been found to say things that
they do not intend to deliver.
Buyers are liars. They think nothing about lying to a salesperson. What has been
discovered is that the more questions you ask, the lower the percentage of lying.
However, don‟t believe everyone and remember people lie.
“Discover the prospect by asking powerful questions that will eliminate any
questionable situation. Knowing people will lie, you can learn to master not falling into
their trap by protecting and preventing it with your good judgment, questions, and
intuition.”
16. You must continue to acquire knowledge about your profession.
In watching what I call “Tigers,” which are highly successful people in every case,
they continue to grow in knowledge about their profession. They also learn other
knowledge which supports all aspects of their life. Ben Franklin, the great inventor and
one of the fathers of our country, believed that this rule was one of four keys to building
wealth.
“Remember, always, you must continue to acquire knowledge about your
profession. Constantly learning and improving your knowledge is the key in life. Never
stop learning „til you die.”
17. You must care about the product or service, and your client.
You must care about your product or service. This is another one of Ben‟s Rules for
Building Wealth. A person who really cares usually doesn‟t say the job is complete until
it is fully checked to be correct. A workman, or salesman, must stay with the job
through implementation and follow-up with the client. This is the way to ensure that a
salesman can get referrals. This is why most small business people work too hard or
never grow very large.
“Remember, always, you must care about the product or service, and your client.
You can‟t sustain in business if you can‟t deliver great product and customer service to
capture your client and his referrals. People constantly come back to give you business
because they like you and perceive the value and know that you care about them. You
win the business because you consistently care about your product and your service.”
18. Be frugal and live below your means.
The lack of frugality is why most salespeople and business people fail. It has been
the reason that people have gone into debt. It would have been better to wait until they
have the cash. Also buying used products in excellent condition is a smart addition to
this rule. We can do with an older car or a smaller home. Nothing wrong with repairing
something.
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If you score yourself on each of these 18 points right now and find yourself below 80%
you are at risk; so improve something quickly. If you are between 80% and 95%, you
will make a good living. But if you want more, improve something. I always tell my
client, figure out what you love to do to get above 95%. If you are above 95%, I can
take you to wherever you want to go.
Go for the best in life and put in a little extra in your work, for the love of it. You
will be found at the top of all business owners, salespeople, or marketers. We will see
each other at the top.
You can connect with one of our training centers at www.winfree.org or call 800-
616-9260.