Brian Tracy on Sales - Nordic Business Forum 2012
Introduction
Thank you for being here and for making such a sacrifice to attend. I promise this will be a valuable experience for you. Today, we live in one of the most challenging economic times in history. As salespeople, our job is to sell against tough competition. I will share ideas that have helped others double or even triple their income. How many here would like to double their income? If I can show you how, will you give it a try? Say yes!
Always Predict Growth
You must always expect growth and work as if growth is inevitable. Your attitude determines your level of success. Even in economic downturns, some people succeed while others fail—often because they choose to work harder and more aggressively instead of cutting back.
My Journey into Sales
I did not graduate from high school and could only get labor jobs—washing dishes, working in construction, sawmills, and even on a ship in the North Atlantic. By the time I was 23, I was unemployed, unskilled, and sleeping in a barn. Eventually, I got into sales, which is often the "default" job for many people when they have no other options.
At first, I struggled. I had no training and no experience. The only advice I received was to work harder. I started knocking on doors from early morning until late at night. It took 30 days to make my first sale. I was broke, sleeping on a friend's floor, and had only one set of clothes.
After six months of hard work, I noticed a top salesperson in my company was making 10 times more money while working less. So, I asked him, "What are you doing differently?" That single question changed my life.
The Seven-Step Sales Process
He explained that selling follows a logical seven-step process:
Prospecting – Speak to the right people.
Building Rapport & Trust – Establish credibility.
Identifying Needs – Ask questions to understand the customer.
Presenting Your Product – Show how it meets their needs.
Handling Objections – Overcome resistance.
Closing the Sale – Ask for the decision.
Getting Resales & Referrals – Build long-term relationships.
With this knowledge, I changed my approach. I stopped talking and started asking questions. My sales increased. I began reading sales books, listening to audio programs, and attending seminars. The two key lessons I learned:
Try new ideas immediately.
Nothing works perfectly the first time—keep trying until it does.
The Power of 'How'
Successful people ask themselves "How?" when facing a challenge. Instead of complaining, they focus on finding solutions. Always ask, "How can I achieve this?" The more you ask "how," the more solutions you will find.
The Hourly Rate Mindset
Top performers think in terms of their hourly rate. If you focus on your weekly or monthly income, you tend to waste time. Instead, ask, "Is this activity worth my hourly rate?" The biggest time-wasters are distractions—socializing, long breaks, and unproductive habits. To increase your income, identify the three tasks that generate the most revenue and focus on them.
Face-to-Face Selling & The Stopwatch Technique
Studies show that the average salesperson only works 90 minutes a day. A company I worked with gave their salespeople stopwatches to track actual selling time. The results? They discovered that most salespeople spent only 90 minutes per day with customers. When they increased that to 180 minutes, sales skyrocketed.
If you want to double your income, double your FaceTime with customers.
The Cybernetic Guidance Mechanism
Like a guided missile, sales success is about constant adjustments. You learn by doing. If you're making one sale out of ten, keep improving until you close three, four, or even nine out of ten. You can't get worse by practicing—you can only get better.
The Power of Rejection
Make it your goal to collect "no's." The more rejections you get, the more successful you will become. One company introduced a contest: the first telemarketer to receive 10 "no's" won a free lunch. The results? Their productivity and morale soared.
Deliberate Practice for Mastery
Success comes from deliberate practice—focusing on one skill at a time until you master it. Ask yourself, "What one skill, if I mastered it, would have the greatest impact on my career?" Identify it, write it down, and work on it daily.
The Doctor of Selling Approach
Top salespeople act like doctors. A good doctor:
Examines the patient (asks questions).
Diagnoses the issue (identifies needs).
Prescribes a solution (offers the product/service).
Never skip steps. Selling out of sequence kills the sale.
Building Strong Relationships
Customers buy from those they like and trust. Harvard Business School found that all selling today is relationship selling. Listen more than you speak. The key to building trust is asking great questions and truly listening to the answers.
The Agenda Close
Use an agenda in your sales meetings. Prepare a written agenda with seven key questions. When you show a customer an agenda, you establish credibility and position yourself as a professional. It makes the sales process smoother and more effective.
Presenting the Product: Focus on Benefits
Customers don’t care about your company or product details—they care about what it will do for them. Sell the destination, not the plane. People buy improvement—the belief that your product will make their life better.
Handling Objections
Write down the six most common objections you hear and prepare powerful responses. Top salespeople become brilliant at answering objections. If you lose a sale because of an objection once, that’s understandable. But if you lose a sale twice for the same reason, that’s unacceptable—find the right answer.
Closing the Sale
Two powerful closing techniques:
The Invitational Close – "How do you like this so far?" If the customer responds positively, say, "Why don’t you give it a try?"
The Reverse Close – "If we could take care of that issue to your complete satisfaction, would you move forward?"
Getting Referrals
Ask happy customers, "Do you know anyone else who might benefit from this?" The key to long-term sales success is asking for resales and referrals.
Final Lesson: Take Action
IBM turned around its struggling business by putting more people in the field—more time with customers led to massive growth. The same applies to you. Get out there, spend more FaceTime with customers, and never be afraid of hearing "no."
Thank you very much!
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