Selling at $39,000 a Word

I am a big fan of the John Wick franchise and could watch the first one over and over again. Although the next two movies were disappointing, I hear John Wick 4 is worth a look.

What’s the attraction? Well, you’ve got to love a heavily armed, deeply-flawed anti-hero who uses an economy of words.

How much of an economy?

Someone with a lot of time on their hands calculated that Keanu Reeves earned over $39,000 a word in this most recent installment. It would seem this character understands one of the core lessons of sales: Get your point across without being too verbose.

Sales reps, unlike Mr. Wick, don’t close deals with guns (although they might just show up to my live presentations armed, as happened recently — and potentially for the first time). Still, we can learn a profitable lesson by talking less, listening more, and thus maximizing our commission-per-second ratio.

When asked, “What is your self-perceived No. 1 selling flaw?” sales reps most frequently admit they talk too much. Taking that one step further, that likely means they don’t do enough listening.

Try to become more aware of your interactions with people — all people — not just clients. Make it a goal to be fully engaged in the conversation (no cellular distractions). Be the one asking the questions and make certain you answer a question briefly before tossing a return volley over the net.

You might not ever reach the Keanu-level of $39K/word, but you will certainly make this old adage true: You (l) earn nothing with your mouth open.

Added to The Sales Vault this week:
• How to set up your selling day
• How to trust your CSR and sell more

Learn more at SalesVault.pro or call Bill Farquharson at 781-934-7036.