Perry Marshall, author of the authoritative guide on Google Adwords, “The Definitive Guide to Google AdWords“, wrote a fantastic email about selling results and not procedures. I really respect him for being able to climb from such humble beginnings to where he is today!

Committed to Your Freedom,
Willy Lim

The Financially Free Advisor
Bridging InterNET to Network Marketing in Asia

Willy,

Today I’m going to tell you a story that’s kinda uncomfortable
for me to tell.

But first I need to explain my “Pink Cadillac Theory of Killer Sales
People.”

Mary Kay consultants used to win Pink Cadillacs for achieving
huge sales results.

So my Pink Cadillac Theory says: Most of the really great sales
people - and most of the really talented marketers and copywriters
I know - started out in some sort of down-and-dirty, person-to-person,
lowly direct sales opportunity.

Maybe it was selling Mary Kay. Maybe it was some sort of M/L/M
deal. Maybe they sold Cutco Knives, or Girl Scout Cookies. Heck,
maybe they were even Jehovah’s witnesses, knocking on doors.

But somehow, somewhere, they learned the rhythm of face-to-face
persuasion.

Which is why, when I found out that our own Mendy Butler had
supported herself as a full time Mary Kay rep for 3 years, I
snatched her up right away.

So anyway, I’ve got my own version of that. A lot of my customers
have heard my Amway horror stories. But another place where I
learned to sell was selling…. vacuum cleaners. In rural Nebraska,
actually. About 18 years ago, when I was a scrapping college
student.

Yup, knocking on doors, hawking $700 machines… ‘hey mom and
dad, are you proud of me yet? That investment in my education
sure is payin’ off now, ain’t it?’

Anyway, when you sell something door to door, you have to
come up with something to entice them to let you in their house.
Kind of like writing headlines. I was offering a free carpet cleaning
for one room, which would become my opportunity to demonstrate
what this here fine machine could do.

I found, this is not easy. I didn’t get many takers.

Well one day some guy told me to come back later in the afternoon.
He asks me, “Now how much do you charge to clean carpets again?”
He thought I was a carpet cleaner.

And I thought: “Well, I could have a slim chance of selling him this
thing, and probably go home with nothing… or I could quote him a
price and just clean his living room, and go home with money in my
pocket.”

Which is what I did.

Which is how I got into the carpet cleaning business. Pretty soon
I was cleaning carpets in rural Nebraska.

I cringe, just telling you this story.

But every successful person has some sort of humble beginnings
they’ve gotta admit to. And actually should be proud of it, because it’s how you developed your chops.

But anyway, there’s a lesson in this.

The renowned copywriter Herschell Gordon Lewis said,
“Sell Results Not Procedures” and that’s exactly what I was doing
when I went from vacuum cleaner salesman to carpet cleaner.
Just sell the end result, not the ‘thingy’ that might be able to give
them the result.

Last month I had a consultation with a guy who was trying
unsuccessfully to sell this exotic piece of corporate software.
I said, “Sell the customer a consulting gig in which you go into
his company and use your total expertise to solve all his problems
in, say, 2 months. Use your software to do it, but guarantee that
you will entirely solve his problem.

“And in the process of solving his problem completely - which is
what the customer wants in the first place - you will figure out what
is missing in the sale of your software.

“Plus you’ll make some immediate money that will fund your
business as you go.”

Ask your customers - what is the end result that they REALLY want, and sell THAT. It’s the easiest and best way to re-invigorate your biz.

To your success,

Perry Marshall

P.S.: I never won a Pink Cadillac, ever.

P.P.S. Mendy and Denise, my capable customer service assistants,
attended the last 4-man intensive as guests. To see what goes
actually on. They both LOVED the experience. And if you go to
the information page about the next Intensives - which are
September 10-11 and 24-25 - you can chat with them via the
live chat, and hear their stories. Or talk to ‘em on the phone.

If it’s not a fit, they’ll tell you. If it is, the #1 thing we do is re-invent businesses - more results, less procedures. You’ll get a preview of how
much fun you’re gonna have: http://perrymarshall.com/roundtable/

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