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Education

Don't copy the competition Not surprisingly, those old sayings
stuck more than lectures. I repeated
them to my children and dropped
them into conversations. I also found
that sayings helped me remember
material better when I was learning
something new. As a result, I found
it fitting when training to use an
appropriate saying to make a point.
Clear but misunderstood

Those sayings evolved over time
to reflect a change in my sales
By Jeff Fortney philosophy. I realized sayings such as
"Stay on the right side of the payline"
Touchsuite or "You can't make anyone say yes, but
you can get them to say no. Other than
rowing up, the best advice I received was conveyed through say- a yes, a no is the next best thing" can
ings. Many were old standbys; others I heard only once or twice. be summed up in one statement: "If
It was just easier for my elders to make a point stick if they said your competition is doing something,
G it in one pithy line. you stop doing it."

For example, as my mom doctored a skinned knee or an elbow she would say, Although the statement is clear, many
"If you friends jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?" Or when a teacher tend to misunderstand it. They think
reminded us that our term paper was due in two weeks, she would say, I am saying that if the competition is
"Remember, you can't build a house in a day." selling, you stop selling. Others think
I am saying that the competition is
doing everything wrong. Both are
far from true. Some argue that when
competitors are successful, you
should mirror their actions so you can
duplicate their success. Again, this
misses the point.

If you sell like everyone else, or
exactly like your competition, why
would merchants sign with you? Why
would they find you a better option
than their current providers? Absent
other factors, the answer lands on
price. Selling on price used to be a
slippery slope; now it's a cliff. Price is
a component of a sale, but it can't be
the component of the sale.
A proactive plan

Deciding to stop mimicking your
completion is just the first step. You
must now decide what you are going
to do. Here are a few steps to consider.

• Begin with questions. A suc-
cessful sale doesn't begin with
selling. It begins with you identi-
fying the merchant's needs. Ask
questions, and when you feel you
have the information you need,
ask one more. Don't rush to sell.

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