Part two of a two-part series.

The New Sales Club… Are you in it?

Can’t get the appointment?

Cold calls failing?

Getting excuses you have a hard time getting past?

Getting rejected?

Frustrated?

Welcome to the club. The “Rejected and It’s Your Own Damn Fault Club.” In sales, it’s a bigger club than, “Made the Sale Club.” Reason? You’re following the bylaws of the wrong club. All clubs have bylaws. Follow them and stay in the club. Violate them and get expelled (or join another club).

OK, so what are the bylaws of the sales club? What are the foundation of rules by which an INITIAL call must be made? (assuming it isn’t a referral) Here they are and there’s some great news attached. Hot, cold, or lukewarm, the same bylaws (rules) apply.

NOTE WELL: The bylaws are not answers in and of themselves. They are realizations for which you must create your own answers and adapt your product, service and selling style to each bylaw. If you do that, you can get in The Sales Club. And if you don’t, don’t worry, you’ll never know the difference. But there’s a clue, you’ll be whining about your prices are too high, of getting put off by prospects, or getting a high percentage of “satisfied with present supplier, no reason to switch.” If that’s you, you in trouble. Here’s the way out.

Here are the REST of Jeffrey Gitomer’s 7.5 Sales Club bylaws to sell or fail by…

5. Study creativity. If creativity is important to the sale, why have you never read a book on it? Run to the bookstore or amazon.com and order THINKERTOYS, by Michael Michalko a landmark book on creativity that’s easily transferable to sales.

CONSIDER THIS: When is the last time you had a new objection? There has only been one new one in the past twenty five years: I can get it faster and cheaper online. If you hear that objection, this information can’t help you and I would strongly consider jumping to that competitor.

CREATIVE ACTION must permeate every sales action you take. Let 2024 be the year to take apart every aspect of your sales process, and rebuild it more creatively. Cold calls, information delivery, presentations, proposals, voice mails, followups, closing strategies, how customers order, what is customer service, and staying in front of your existing customers with value messages instead of sales calls, are at the heart of your loyalty factor and your referral quotient. And oh yes, your ability to differentiate yourself from the competition with something OTHER than price. Creativity is a learned science. Read, learn and apply.

6. Just because they are important to you, does not mean that you are important to them. Prospects and customers are busy with THEIR agendas, not yours. Many salespeople prepare weekly “Hot Prospect” lists. Hot to who? Want to take a cold shower? Put a checkmark by each customer on your list who is hot for you. Uh, oh. Different list.

Your cold call is an interruption to them. For the most part, a negative one. Your 9am followup may be in the middle of their staff meeting. You can’t just be hot to sell them (quotas, sales goals, and commissions), they gotta be hot to buy (need, value established, resource, trust). And you have to be timely in your approaches.

HUGE MISTAKE: Only looking at the “Hot Prospect” list from your point of view. The dimmest one.

7. Sell one thing at a time. Most basketball games are won with layups. Two-foot shots or dunks. Just go through the fundamental steps of the sales cycle. No behind the back passes. No full court passes. When you’re in the first call, stick to your objective. Get to the next step. When you’re on a cold appointment, just sell the appointment. Save your trump (best information) for the last trick. Complete the cycle one step (one two-foot shot) at a time.

WHAT IS IT? Do you even know your sales cycle? Most salespeople don’t have it defined. Define it.

7.5 You gotta believe. The first sale that’s made is the salesperson. If the prospect does not buy you, they’ll NEVER buy your stuff.

TO MAKE A SALE: You gotta believe you work for the greatest company in the world, you gotta believe you have the greatest products and services in the world, and you gotta believe you’re the greatest person in the world. Three key words, you gotta believe.

OK, there are the Sales Club bylaws to make initial sales by. How did you stack up? In the club? Probably not, but take heart, very few are. They’re easy to find, however. They’re always the ones who sell the most and win the sales trips they may be the ones you hate. Real world update: it’s not hate, it’s envy.

IDEA FOR 2024: Form a group inside your company, and another group outside your company and see if you can update your bylaws and make the sales club this year I hope you do.