Article:

Being and Time, an article written by German philosopher Martin Heidegger in 1927, provides a philosophical framework for understanding the concepts of authenticity, being, and caring in sales and relationship building. In Heidegger's study, he referred to 'dasein, a concept that can be understood as 'being fully present' in sales. This means more than just physically being there; it involves being fully attentive to and understanding the client's needs and being there for them meaningfully. Heidegger's ideas are further explored in the book Eclipse of the Self by Michael E. Zimmerman, which delves into the development of Heidegger's concept of authenticity and its application in various fields, including sales.

Being Ever-Present Example:

Let's assume we have two different salespersons doing their jobs. The first salesperson was given an instruction manual on how to call many prospects. The person complies and calls, hoping the process will yield immediate results.

• This is Jacob (Jake #1) from ABC Company; we sell widgets. Are you interested in purchasing these beautiful widgets? Jake is focused on the web, meaning his company and the sales process, rather than the client and the client's needs. Jake #1 shows little interest in developing any relationship with his prospect, much less long-term lasting friendships. Jake #1 associates with other low producers in the office and shows hostility toward more successful others. Every excuse is provided for his non-success.
• (Jake #2) has been trained to focus on getting to know the client and meeting the client's needs. Hi, this is Jake from ABC Company. I came across your name on LinkedIn. You sure have a professional presence. I also looked at your website and found your unique background very interesting. Do you have a few minutes to discuss your unique platform of success? Jacob fully knows he is focusing on the customer rather than the process. He is ever-present in his presentations and listens to the customers' and clients' needs. A client is more likely to respond favorably to someone who complements them and wants to know more about them. Jacob #2 is far more likely to develop a lasting relationship with the client than Jacob #1. Jake #2 focuses on developing long-term relationships that turn into friendships. A good percentage of his new business comes from referrals. His success story is a testament to the power of authentic relationship-building in sales, inspiring us all to strive for meaningful connections in our professional lives.

Dan's Background:

I developed a unique strategy in the late 1970s into the early 1980s. I grew from a high school business teacher to one of the highest-producing real estate agents between Newport Beach and San Clemente between 1978 and 1984 and later in the mid-2000s to produce up to $10-25 million monthly sales volume in the real property lending business. On a side note, I developed the business curriculum in the 1970s for Saddleback School District in Orange County, CA. The classes included word processing/keyboarding, typing, business math, consumer education, economics, and accounting. These were pre-computer science days.

Before 1980, I was an early adopter of cross-selling. I created a real estate brokerage, a public escrow company to close the sales, a mortgage company to originate residential and commercial real estate loans, and a general insurance agency to place the insurance policies on the purchased property. Additionally, the insurance agency placed investment property coverage, liability coverages, auto insurance, and life & and disability insurance. An adjunct company I formed was a property management company that managed residential and commercial rental income property, including commercial leasing.

Happiness is Found in Doing, not Merely Possessing.

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Effective salesmanship is a learned skill set, but developing into an authentic and unique being is the treasure. Confucius and Dan say, "Find a man who enjoys his work, and you will find someone who will never work another day."

If one's objective in the sales business is to follow up with a few acquaintances, the potential success will be minimal. An effective sales network starts with a few but grows into thousands and tens of thousands.

The 80/20 Rule:

The 80/20 rule applies to the sales profession. Twenty percent of salespersons develop 80 percent of the sales. Conversely, 80 percent of salespeople develop 20 percent of the sales and resulting profits. Successful salespersons are willing to do the heavy lifting and do tasks others refuse to do.

80/20 Rule-Example:

Two salespersons, Samatha (Sami) #1 and #2.

Sami #1 arrives at the office at 9:30 am, heads for the coffee machine, and sets down in her office chair to work by 9:45. She organizes until 10:00 am before considering any business-related activities. She calls friends and relatives before settling down to go to business. Real business focus is done between 10:30 and 11:30 when lunch arrives. The same focus occurs between 1:30 and 3:00 when it is time to shut down and go home. Business consumed about 2.5 hours of her time, all process-driven rather than results-driven. She is frustrated about the amount of money that she makes. Sami #1 shows little regard for developing long-term lasting relationships, much less friendships.

Sami #2 is a Dynamo. She is hard-charged, independent, confident, non-conformist and self-sufficient. Please do not attempt to disrupt her stable situation because it will not work. She knows that her successes are there for the taking. She arrives at 8:00 am, organizes ready work and her files, and is on the phone when needed. She takes the time to manage her day to maximum time efficiency. Making a sales presentation on the phone or in front of customers and closing transactions are her highest values. She focuses on returning phone calls, following up leads, and making outbound calls to prospects. She is results-driven rather than process-driven. Administrative activities and marketing are essential, but she delegates them to her assistant so she can stay focused. Sami #2 leaves the office around 5:00 pm. Her business activities consume about eight solid hours.

Sami #2 maintains a positive attitude and is an optimist, a risk-taker, and a visionary. She accepts setbacks, but only temporarily. She fully understands the relationship between the processes and the intended results. The processes and actions that pursue the goal create happiness, but not necessarily the results. The results are a byproduct. She associates only with successful people, even though she treats others respectfully and with dignity. Sami #2 has developed dozens of long-term, lasting relationships that have become authentic friendships. As a result, a good percentage of her business is from referrals. Sami focuses on a long-term strategy rather than an immediate one. Sami is the top producer in her company and the top 5% in her entire industry. Sami learned well.

Universe of Possibilities:

Jacob (Jake 1#) belongs to a golf club. He relies on the social set to bring business. The club's membership is about 300, and he cannot rely on the members to have an extended network to get business. Sometimes, his company appears to act as a socialite rather than a business owner. He can extract some business and referrals, only in limited portions. His universe of possibilities is 300.

Sami #2 has taken the time to develop an extensive network through sources like LinkedIn and a well-thought-out list of 10,000 professionals to whom she sends articles and exciting things. Her focus has been to market to professionals who have their client network. As a result of consistent marketing and efforts to develop long-term relationships, she has amassed a universe of possibilities well beyond 100,000. The size grows exponentially as time passes, and so does the size of her savings accounts and investments. She has a consistent strategy of follow-up and rarely deviates.

Define Your Universe of Possibilities:

What is the maximum and broadest number of individuals or prospects you may develop to sell your products, goods, or services? Is it 100, 1000, or 10,000? Size matters! A salesperson's understanding of the process may include a lack of experience, willingness to take the risk, or enthusiasm for engaging in a long-term systematic enterprise. A more straightforward explanation is that some people are lazy and irresponsible.

A salesperson should formulate a daily communication strategy to develop new business leads that will hopefully become lasting friendships. Therein lies the process of turning prospects into friendships. Please don't create superficial friendships that always become dead-ended streets. Can you call a friend, have a general conversation, and enjoy the time spent without thinking of getting something out?

Herein lies the struggle between the salesperson who will never or only marginally become successful and one who can develop into a master salesperson with life fulfillment in relationships with others.

I have consulted with many eager salespersons. Yes, the size of one's prospect lead base matters. But relationships matter more. The size of a prospect network may start with 10 or 20 but grow to 1000 or more. You may start with a smaller number but limit the lead potential unless you sell multimillion-dollar products with a considerable profit margin. Two examples may be Caterpillar and airplanes. These items cost from five hundred to hundreds of millions of dollars.

You locate a buyer; you do not create one.

If a salesperson was taught that slick language, like handling the objections and switching to assumptive close works, Fuller Brush Company and Encyclopedia Britannica might have a job for you. Also, using online tools like LinkedIn and Facebook may be effective or a waste of time. A new link with a new person is only the most minute beginning and introduction to developing a future relationship and eventual friendship.

To be effective, a salesperson needs a good customer relations software package (CRM) to manage prospects and memorialize conversations, histories, families, events, interests, backgrounds, and essential aspects of developing a friendship. An effective salesperson needs an email marketing system like Salesforce or MailChimp.

The more you understand your friends, the more your relationship will grow. They look forward to talking with you, and you will have mutual interests. Of course, you will enjoy talking and sharing things that interest you.

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than in two years by trying to get others interested in you.

"Talk to someone about themselves, and they'll listen for hours."

How to Win Friends and Influence People- by Dale Carnegie.

https://fs.blog/how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people/  

Call, Text, or Visit 10 to 25 Prospects Daily:

Now comes the strategy of calling 10 to 25 prospects daily to become friends over time. What can you do for them? How can you assist them in accomplishing their goals? Continue the exercise until you develop so much business that you can hire assistants. Delegate as many of your job tasks to others as possible, and then get back on purpose.

If you make outbound calls and receive an answerphone, you can leave a message and follow up with an email like, " I'm just calling to catch up. I'm checking to see if I can do anything for you or your clients, or I just called to share an interesting article or news segment I read."

A difficult part of any conversation is developing the habit of listening rather than doing most of the talking. No, I am not that interesting, no matter who told us we were. It is easy to talk about myself when having conversations with others. We can all become amused about ourselves and our life histories. It is imperative to stop talking and start listening.

Developing authentic friendships that will choose to work with you will be a natural transition from acquaintance to business prospect to genuine friendship. The process requires you to learn about your friend's background and family and what is important to them, not about you. What can you do to improve their lives, help their client, or help them put bread on the table?

Find someone who develops enough friendships and relationships to do business, and you will have a whole and enriched life. The journey is never complete!

Loyalty & friendship, which are the same as me,

created all the wealth I ever thought I'd have.

Earnie Banks, Chicago Cubs, shortstop and first baseman, 1953-1971

Develop your Unique Ability:

Developing your unique ability will create a positive magnet around you. People will be drawn to you through developed friendships, social networking, and the enhancement of your satisfaction and professional career, and the same will be valid for those who meet you.

My Opinions Come From Experience:

20% of the people and friends in your life give you 80% of life's satisfaction. Conversely, 20% of the negative, disrespectful, and unreliable people will result in 80% dissatisfaction. Tolerating people with negative attitudes, hostility, rudeness, condescendingness, game playing, or jealousy does not fit into a satisfying life journey. Included in this group are superficial, sycophantic, and parasitic friendships. Eliminate all these people from your life, pronto?

Develop a management infrastructure and support system around you. These may be employees or independent contractors. You can develop high sales volumes and consistently deliver a quality outcome with a whole support staff and operational techniques and strategies. Allowing weak staff members or weak systems will drag you down and make you marginally effective.