Oprah has it. Steve Jobs, Bill Clinton, Tony Robbins, and George Clooney have it.
Adolf Hitler had it.
"It" is that elusive charm that engages, captivates and influences.
And when used for good has the power to make people's lives exponentially better.
Most would call "it" charisma.
The best salespeople are charismatic. You meet them. You like them. You buy from them.
Even when they don't have the best product or offer the best prices.
And the salesmen who don't have "it" grudgingly say of those who do, "Pffh...well, they were born with it." In other words, they must have the sales gene - lucky bums.
Sounds like a reasonable theory. Except that with over 30 years in sales, I watched natural extroverts lose sales because they talked too much and didn't listen enough.
The best salesmen know when to speak up and when to shut up, when to push and when to hold back.
So no, there is no sales gene. It's all a myth. Charisma is a skill that can be learned.
I was a new stockbroker in New Jersey - fresh out of college. It was the early 80's.
And I had no idea that I was about to go undergo a complete makeover.
My boss told me I had to fix a chipped tooth. He informed me to lose the tinted glasses. He set me up with his tailor to work on my wardrobe. But the most painful mandate of all was to shave my beard. I mean...come on, it was a good-looking beard!
"Art, brokers with beards make money - brokers without beards make more money."
He taught us young bucks who were rip roarin' ready to take the investment world by storm how to look the part, act the part, and most of all act like you know before you know.
I listened to Tony Robbins motivational tapes until I had them memorized. Little did I realize at the time that charisma played a big part in Tony's ability to influence people.
If you've read Robert Cialdini's book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion that I've mentioned before, you'll see that what he's really talking about is charisma.
Although there are many more, here is my short list of 7 qualities that charismatic people have that any business owner/salesman (yes, every entrepreneur is a salesman by default) can develop:
Whether you're meeting a potential client face to face or over the phone, you have the ability to set the tone for the entire meeting by your attitude. Charismatic people smile a LOT!
And if you're not? Act like you are. No one goes to the restaurant with only one car in the parking lot. They go down the road to the place where there's a line out the door.
People who make their lives easier, save them time, and give them more free time. Being flexible and accommodating, not rigid and difficult, goes a long way.
People feel secure in givig money to people who are honest, ethical, and straight-shooting.
Make sure your public profiles, online and offline marketing materials, interviews, etc. are completely truthful. Lies always come back to bite you.
People are responsive to people who make them feel like they are the center of the conversation. Instead of talking about yourself, take a genuine interest in your prospective customers. Ask about their company, their job, their industry, even their family and hobbies.
People are attracted to other people who are physically attractive.
Sure, most of us aren’t GQ material…but if investing in some new duds and a capped tooth was going to give me an edge, who was I to argue with my boss, a legend in the investment arena?
Reserve bragging for the annual Christmas card. Like religion and politics, likeable people don't discuss how much money they make.
So back to my early days...I did everything I was taught.
Got all spiffed up. Practiced listening twice as much as talking. And until I could afford to buy my first BMW, I parked my grandfather's Oldsmobile Delta 88 a few blocks away from my appointments and walked.
And a little swagger didn't hurt, either 🙂
Seize the day!
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