“As you approach sales in this way, as you approach growing and learning your craft, be curious. Look to find a little more truth.” – Jeff Bajorek in today’s Tip 1722
Are you wrong? What’s your thought about this?
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Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. Today’s tip and dose of perspective comes from Jeff Bajorek. Give a listen to this:
Jeff Bajorek: When I get in front of an audience for the first time, early on in my presentation, I will tell them that if they have any disagreements or misunderstandings with what I’m about to say or with what I’m saying, that’s okay. They’re entitled to be wrong because I know I’m not. And It’s a little bit tongue in cheek to get the people in the back to sit up a little bit. It helps to get the people in the front to lean forward a little bit. It’s a little bit of an engagement tool for me as a speaker. But here’s what I mean.
I’ve studied this stuff for 20 years. I have engrossed myself in the principles of selling in what is going on, what’s working, what’s not working, and why. I’ve done the work to understand it. I’m not wrong. I’ve positioned and am choosing the language to present it in a way where I am not wrong, but neither are you. Because what I’m not saying is that I’m right.
Look, There are more ways to sell right than to sell wrong. That’s where sell like you comes from. But what I’m trying to do is create an environment where everybody in that room knows that it’s a safe place to learn, that I invite the disagreement, that if you bring a little bit of curiosity and just the slightest open mind, we might learn something together.
As a matter of fact, I pledge that if you’ve got a disagreement with me, then I’m going to listen to you. And the goal is that we’re going to both get a better understanding of the truth. You’ve heard me say this before, the truth is undefeated, but it takes work to uncover the truth. It takes work to unlock the secrets of making great sales. And that’s what I’m here to help you do. That’s what you’re here as my audience to help me do as well. This is a journey we’re going on together.
So maybe it helps me to get the attention of an audience at the beginning. But what I wanted to do is set the tone that we have a collaborative environment. And when I say I want you to bring curiosity, you can’t be truly curious unless you’re willing to be wrong. That approach, that attitude of curiosity has paid dividends to me throughout my career, and it will continue to do so because it’s because I’m not wrong, doesn’t mean I think I’m right all the time.
When you think about the way you learn, when you think about the things that you approach on a daily basis that you run into that you disagree with, who do you assume is wrong? Are you someone that just assumes that anybody that disagrees with you is wrong? That’s very close-minded, and I would suggest that that’s not a way to learn. The opposite of that is to assume that just because someone agrees with you, maybe you’re wrong.
Well, if you take that assumption all the time, then that’s a recipe to feel terrible, to feel like you’re screwing up always, and that you can never get anything right. That’s a recipe for a terrible attitude, not one that’s going to help you grow and succeed. But when you approach anything that you disagree with as That flies in the face of what I’ve been doing. But maybe there’s some truth there that I’ve yet to uncover. Maybe I should explore that. Maybe if I explore that, I might validate my own feelings or try something new or learn something that maybe could help me, or maybe somewhere in between. Maybe there’s a third way. And not in terms of compromise, I mean in terms of growth.
So what I’m going to invite you to do, especially going into this year, tricky. These next eight months or so are going to be a lot of fun in an election year. This might provide to be a very useful survival tactic for you. I know it’s helped me over the past couple of election cycles. I look to listen. I don’t always share my closely held beliefs. If you’re paying close attention, you can probably gather some. But what I look to do is listen because I think that when other people feel heard, that’s what brings people together. When other people are willing to discuss things with you, that’s when we all get better.
As you approach sales in this way, as you approach growing and learning your craft, be curious. Look to find a little more truth. This is what mastery looks like. It’s that mind of a beginner mindset. If you can continue to do that, if you can continue to be curious, there’s no way to go but up. You’ll be better off for it. Disagree with me? I look forward to talking to you about it.
Scott Ingram: For links to connect with Jeff and maybe to have him speak to your team, just click over to DailySales.Tips/1722. Once you’ve clicked over there, be sure to click right back here for another great sales tip. Thanks for listening!