Third in a series:
On the heels of our interviews with Seth Godin, Jeffrey Gitomer and Ron McDaniel, we're in the middle of our conversation with sales training expert Mark Giganti.
Mark, tell us about a sales horror story from your past...something that will show us that you're human like the rest of us!
"OK, I'll tell you about my very first call as a franchise owner and trainer for Crestcom. On my first call, I visited a huge prospect - one of the largest commercial landscaping companies in Southern California. I went out completely unprepared. I broke every rule in how to sell the Crestcom training workshop. I even had some of my equipment break down, I had audio-visual equipment go out on me, and I was unprepared to answer their questions. It was a disaster...I quite literally lost a deal that would have meant close to $500,000 to me personally. And you know what? They still won't talk to me!"
So, what did you learn from that experience?
"Two big lessons. First, it's vital for sales people - even me - to prepare and rehearse. Secondly, when you feel ready to go out and try your approach, you should practice with smaller prospects."
Slightly different subject now, Mark. What about sales meetings? Why are most of them so bad?
"First, a lot of managers have no real agenda...no purpose for the meeting. Second, you have a lot of unprepared group leaders out there. And third, there's too much one-way communication at those meetings...one guy or gal up front that does all the talking.
"Most sales organizations don't realize that their best resources are in the audience, not at the front of the room. Done right, those types of gatherings can turn into incredible morale boosting, team building sessions. That's what I try to teach managers and business owners to do when I train them.
Interested in talking to Mark about providing the world's best management training for your staff or company? He's the best I've seen, so I can highly recommend him. Or, maybe you have a training or sales related question? Shoot him an e-mail at markgiganti@helloworld.com. Or, call him at 661.259.8180. Mention LandingTheDeal (and make sure you read the final post in this interview series with Mark for a FREE training tip opportunity!)
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