Best Sellers In History Recap 

The Best Sellers in History has been a hit and we’ve been doing it for the last few months. We have highlighted individuals and classified them as the best sellers throughout history. Over the course of the series, we’ve talked about: 

• Who they are
• What made them great at selling
• What separated them from everyone else
• How we can take those ideas and apply them to our selling career

The Recap

In this series, Donald has talked about several individuals who made their mark. They were influential and persuasive people who were able to make a difference in their lifetimes. We’ve talked about Jesus Christ, Oprah Winfrey, Reginald F Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Benjamin Franklin, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Abraham Lincoln. They were amazing sales people even though they weren’t in sales for a living. For example, Abraham Lincoln wasn’t a salesman but he did sell a major idea. 

• Abraham Lincoln - sold the whole country on the idea of unity and the need to abolish slavery. 

• Mother Teresa - sold to the Catholic church the idea of leaving the convent and personally helping the needy to create her own ministry. 

• Mahatma Gandhi - sold to the whole country the idea of a peaceful revolution. 

• Martin Luther King Jr. - sold the idea of civil disobedience. 

• Harriet Tubman - sold to people the idea of running away toward freedom, despite the danger

They all had vision 

All of the individuals we’ve discussed are tied to a vision we are still talking about today. Websters defines vision as a thought, concept or object formed by the imagination. You can have a vision but that doesn’t necessarily mean your vision is going to compel people to take action. For people to join you, your vision must reveal and alleviate the pain. If people understand how your vision can help them, they will want to know more and be more compelled to come alongside. People need to understand why they should sacrifice their time, effort, and resources for your vision.  

Martin Luther King Jr., illustrated this beautifully in his speech,  I Have a Dream. He didn’t offer a detailed plan of execution, Martin Luther King Jr. simply stated his vision and invited our imaginations to join him in a better world.  

Sell a dream, sell a vision

If you want to become a great salesperson, you too must be able to learn to sell a dream. 

As scripts are recycled, sales reps are saying the same things. How are you going to stand out in the way you communicate with your prospects?  By recognizing your clients’ pain points and offering a vision of what life would be like without these challenges. Here’s an example: 

“60% of what your sales reps are doing today are non-sales related activities and will not generate business for  your organization. Based on what you’re paying them, that could cost you anywhere from $2000 to $5000 in wasted resources, not to mention lost opportunities. If we can demonstrate how we have helped other organizations like yourself show their sales reps how to become more productive and increase sales by 30 to 40% per rep. would you be open to learning more about that?”

You can do this in the form of a video or a phone call. Regardless of the platform you use, be able to paint a picture for your prospect. Speak about the pain that most sales leaders and other businesses face. Help the culture change within the organization by making them see the problem, quantifying their pain, and helping them see how bad it impacts their business. You are giving them a vision of what life could be like for their organization if they keep going in the same direction.  As the sales rep, show up as the solution.  

It’s a fact that not everyone will buy into your vision, just like the other individuals we’ve talked about in this series. The greatest sales people in history faced opposition but they showed up and they were brave. Be brave.

Do not fear the challenge

The second lesson from this series is to not fear the challenge of going against the status quo or your own organization. When organizations find themselves in a rut , they can do the same things over and over again even if they’re still not seeing positive results. Disrupt the rhythm by showing how you can provide the opportunity for these systems to get better. 

When you offer change, be respectful and be ready to show the data. Stand out from other sales reps by being prepared and taking chances.  

Welcoming the new series

The new series will be coming in after the month of March. We will be focusing on SaaS and we’ll be interviewing individuals who are in the SaaS world. This series is called BDR, business development representatives and it’ll be rolling out by April. We’ll be getting on people from Donald’s team. It’s almost like a reality TV show and they are going to talk about their journey and experiences as salespeople and how they were able to become successful. This series may run for six episodes and will be posted and played every Wednesday. 

“Best Seller In History Recap” episode resources 

If you want to hear more and review this series, you can just head on to The Sales Evangelist podcast site and type Best sellers in history series in the search bar. 

If you want more stories, you can just reach out to Donald. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We have a new semester beginning on February 14th and we would love to have you and your team join us. Follow this link to apply to the program. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Best Sellers In History Series 5 - "Mahatma Gandhi"

Depending on who you ask, hearing the name Mahatma Gandhi may bring up the titles of leader, spiritual guide, person of nonviolence, The Father of India, and many more. You may think about the man who defied the British Empire. How did one man make it possible? How was he able to get millions of people to follow his ideals and eventually shape the rest of Western culture? 

For this episode, we will look at Mahatma Gandhi and explore the traits that made him an influential person. 

Sales Spotlight - Mahatma Gandhi 

Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in Pordabander, India. He studied law in London but moved to South Africa in 1893 where he spent 20 years opposing discriminatory legislation against Indians. Gandhi was from a successful family, his father a successful merchant. Gandhi’s experience in working for a law firm in South Africa led him to focus his efforts on helping those who are disenfranchised by society.

One particular day, Gandhi was riding on a train in first-class.  Being a man of means, he’d the money to pay for the ticket. However, another passenger in first-class didn’t like  that an Indian was riding there as well. The conductor tried to encourage Gandhi to move to the lower class but he had paid for the ticket and had broken no laws. He defended himself and was thrown off the train. 

Gandhi went back to India and supported the home rule movement, where Indians could rule themselves, independent from the British Empire. The British had come into India and raked the country’s resources for 200 years. The British originally talked about how they were going to help the people and the economy, and would create jobs, but it didn’t happen in India’s favor. Most of the money went back to England and English people started to look down on the poorer Indian people. The English people were able to take the whole of India because India wasn’t united. 

Indian Revolution against Britain 

The largest rebellion against the British took place in 1857 and it lasted for 18 months. The British called it the Indian Mutiny and it started to spread even though the British downplayed the rebellion and by calling it a mutiny. Both sides had a difficult time but the British eventually won. Many of the Indians were conditioned to think they couldn’t fight against the British despite their huge number. Instead of fighting for their own battle, the Indian army became the backbone of the British empire. 

The British Viceroy, Lord Curzon said that as long as they ruled India, they would be the greatest power in the world. The Indians, however, wanted their freedom and  their own democracy. 

The lack of unity 

Imagine the same situation in the B2B world. Suppose a new client has a huge problem? They have tried to fix it in the past but they weren’t able to win against it.  As a result, they started to just live with the problem. Within the company there could be groups of people who have great ideas on how to solve the problem but there’s nobody who is unifying them. Every department  keeps doing the best they can and everyone just lives with the pain. They need a powerful leader who can recognize there’s a problem, bring all the groups together, and create a solution as a team. 

Mahatma Gandhi showed that kind of leadership. 

Going to the masses

Unlike other politicians and wealthy people, Mahatma Gandhi spent time with the masses. This was very similar to what Jesus Christ, Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, and the other personalities in this history series did. They wanted to make a lasting impression so they spent most of their time with the masses. If you want to make a massive impact, you need to go to the people. 

The same is true for Mahatma Gandhi. He went among the people and built relationships with them. He tried to understand what was going on in their everyday lives. This allowed him to see the challenges they were facing as the oppressed people of society. He was able to articulate their problems and speak for the people. He became the unifying voice. 

Sales reps understand the clients’ pain 

Much like with Mahatma Gandhi, sales reps need to understand their clients’ pain and see where they’re coming from. You shouldn’t just be a salesperson who comes in trying to get the money and resources.  You are a person who should be able to identify with the pain of your clients. Being able to relate to people at that level will earn you their trust. People will respect you and have confidence in you. They don’t give you money for nothing. They give you money because they believe  you can solve their problems. Build rapport and talk to your customers regularly.

How can you do that? 

• Send them birthday cards and email
• Send them articles and information you find online
• Keep in touch with them
• Touch base with your current customers

As a sales rep, it is important to build rapport, understand where they’re coming from, learn about their challenges, and be involved with their lives. 

Give them a solution 

The second thing that Gandhi did was that he gave people a solution. He wasn’t focused on raising an army of who would fight the enemy on the battlefield. He didn’t have an army but he was able to suppress and bring down a British Empire without having to set foot on the battlefield. Gandhi gave them an unconventional solution to a conventional problem. If he had tried to fight the British in a physical battle, he would have faced an uphill battle. 

The British didn’t know that. As a salesperson, adopt a mindset different from other salespeople in your field. Instead of trying to fight a losing battle,  look for another strategy. Do the opposite of what everyone else is doing. 

For instance, Gandhi boycotted the British mill and textile industry and that hurt the British economically. Because Gandhi had built a good relationship with the people, they listened to Gandhi. 

Gandhi presented an unconventional solution. One of Gandhi’s significant protests wat the Salt March. The salt tax affected mostly poor people. Even though India had salt as a resource, they weren’t able to use it and instead, had to buy salt from England. Seeing the problem, Gandhi started a protest that gained momentum as it went on. 

Solve your clients’ problems 

As a B2B sales rep, think of the ways you can solve your clients’ problems and look at it from an unconventional standpoint. Do some research and look for unique ways to solve their problems. Always bring something to the table your competitors haven’t done before or don’t already do. Be a new resource, think outside the box, and paint outside the lines. 

If there is a bid and you’re up against  competitors who are trying to solve the same exact problem, try to look at it differently so you can provide a different and better solution. Even head to head with all things remaining constant, you can still find ways to stand out. 

Every problem needs a great solution. That’s where salespeople come in. #SalesSolutions

Translate their pain into words and feelings 

The third trait of Gandi is the ability to translate peoples’ problems into words and feelings. He was able to paint a vision for them of what life would be like in an independent India. 

Say a company offers sales training. Instead of saying what the training is all about, we paint a picture of what the company and profits can look like after the training. Sales reps need to dig deeper to be able to come up with specific solutions. If you want to become the top seller of your organization then you have to figure out your clients’ problems and simplify the way you present your solutions. 

Death of a great man 

Mahatma Gandhi was eventually assassinated and at his burial, over 1 million people came to mourn. He was known as the person who inspired nonviolent solutions. People followed Mahatma Gandhi because he helped with a sincere heart and a mind for the people.  His protests weren’t just political stunts. He loved his people, he loved his faith, and he loved his country. 

Best Sellers In History Series 5 - "Mahatma Gandhi" episode resources

As a recap, Mahatma Gandhi showed three traits: 

• Going to the masses
• Give them a solution 
• Translate their pain into words and feelings

Do you have sales questions? Suggestions? You can also talk to Donald about it via LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We have a new semester beginning in January and we would love to have you and your team join us. Follow this link to apply to the program. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.