Kick Your Own Ass: The Will, Skill, and Drill of Selling More Than You Ever Thought Possible

275 Pages·2010·3.4 MB·English

by  Robert Johnson

K Ck
$24.95 USA / $29.95 CAN
ROBERT EARLY JOHNSON

is the head of all sales training Kick Your Own Ass
for Sage North America,
Praise for
the leading supplier of busi- W
ness software for small and
K hy do a few top salespeople outper-
medium-sized businesses
I
form while most underperform? Is it
to over six million customers worldwide. C
“Kick Your Own Ass is a tremendously powerful book about the mechanics of human success innate sales personality or talent? A
k
He is Sage’s “front man” for transforming
. . . that just happens to teach you how to sell.”
vitamin? A chant? What if it’s none
businesses and working to improve sales
—John Jantsch Y of these things? What if closing a sale is like
performance for Sage employees, partners, O
author of The Referral Engine and Duct Tape Marketing
most things in life, where the harder and
and customers worldwide. Previously, John- U
smarter you work, the better you perform?
son developed the Sage Sales Academy, an “There are so many books on sales, so many. But, this book does something the others don’t. R
award-winning training program that has It tells you that it isn’t closing that makes the sale, but will. It tells you that it’s the character
of the salesperson that differentiates the most successful from the hangers-on. And it then o If you want to get serious about boosting
helped thousands of salespeople change the
tells you exactly how to develop the will, the character trait so essential to success. As you do w your sales numbers, Kick Your
trajectory of their careers.
so, you will fi nd yourself creating an entirely new world. Read it.” Own Ass gives you a road map to
n
—Michael E. Gerber make that effort and take full responsibility

bestselling author of the E-Myth books a YOUR own ass for your success. This no-excuses guide will
S help you develop the Will, Skill, and Drill to
Learn more at “Everyone knows they control their own destiny, but few have the will to do it. Buying S change the trajectory of your sales career.
this book means you have the desire to improve your sales performance. Kick Your Own Ass
www.robertearlyjohnson.com
explains how to evaluate, plan, and successfully execute the steps of change we all strive for,
T Kick Your Own Ass goes
yet have never achieved. A great read!” h
Jacket Design: Michael J. Freeland e W The WILL, SKILL, and DRILL beyond typical discussions of sales processes
—Greg Kirshe
Jacket Images: © iStock I and skills to improve critical factors like your
President, United Solutions M L
Author Photo: Renee Parenteau “Kick Your Own Ass should be the last sales book you ever read. Rob Johnson outlines the ore Th , LSK of SELLING More slaetlifn-cgo tnofi ydoenurc ep, emrfootrimvaatniocne., Yaonud’ llli ffie n gdo aulns erxe--
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steps that it takes for sales success—personal motivation and responsibility, competitiveness n Y IL pected ways to drive results, such as how to:
aOnwdn a A dses sainred t toh edno kriigckh ty boyu rt —hsaeTl epasr coyasrpleeecort —tro at hnMed AntheCxedtn l oetevnlells!a ”yolud h ow to do it. Read Kick Your ou Ever Th , and LDR Than You Ever Thought Possible •• W Dbeirtsiwctoee veyenor u yrow uoh waatnn d “k wwicihkll-a-akts iysl loseuurs cw”c eamsnst ipglhatn come
award-winning channel executive ou IL • T hink big while taking small steps each day
g
h L
t P o toward your goals
oss f S • B uild long-term relationships with cus-
ib E
le L tomers based on trust, not manipulation
L
I
N
G So if you want to go the whole distance and
then some, fi rst Kick Your Own
Ass—then kick your competition’s!
overall matte finish
ISBN: 978-0-470-59884-9
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E1FFIRS 04/01/2010 12:7:38 Page1
E1FFIRS 04/01/2010 12:7:43 Page2
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ROBERT EARLY JOHNSON
JOHNWILEY&SONS,INC.
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Copyright#2010byHelpingSalespeopleSucceed,LLC.Allrightsreserved.
PublishedbyJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,Hoboken,NewJersey.
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theaccuracyorcompletenessofthecontentsofthisbookandspecificallydisclaimany
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createdorextendedbysalesrepresentativesorwrittensalesmaterials.Theadviceand
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData:
Johnson,RobertE.,1962-
Kickyourownass:thewill,skill,anddrillofsellingmorethanyoueverthoughtpossible/
RobertE.Johnson.
p.cm.
Includesindex.
ISBN978-0-470-59884-9(cloth)
1.Selling. I.Title.
HF5438.25.J65382010
658.85—dc22 2009054221
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21
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C O N T E N T S
Acknowledgments vii
Foreword xi
Introduction xiii
SECTIONI THISISHARDERTHANITLOOKS 1
CHAPTER1 TheArcofYourPotential 3
CHAPTER2 YourRaiseBecomesEffective
WhenYouDo 13
CHAPTER3 TheWill,Skill,andDrillofSelling
MoreThanYouEverThoughtPossible 21
CHAPTER4 OneGolfLessonDoesn’tMake
YouaGolfer—GreatPotentialRequires
GreatWorktoRealize 30
SECTIONII ENGAGEYOURWILL 53
CHAPTER5 Debunkingthe‘‘SalesPersonality’’Myth 55
CHAPTER6 TheWillKillers 73
CHAPTER7 FireYourselfUp:FiveSimpleStepsto
EngageYourWill 95
v
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vi Contents
SECTIONIII ESSENTIALSKILLS 119
CHAPTER 8 TheLogicandEmotionofSelling 121
CHAPTER 9 CreateYourOwnUniqueSuper
SuccessfulSalesProcess 133
CHAPTER10 BuildYourOwnOceanofOpportunities 147
CHAPTER11 DevelopYourTrustandPositiveIntent 159
CHAPTER12 LearntheSubtletiesofPowerListening 168
CHAPTER13 GathertheFactsandDevelop
aValueProposition 178
CHAPTER14 EngineeraDecision:HelpingYour
CustomersBuy 191
CHAPTER15 Don’tScrewUp:HandlingQuestions,
Concerns,andObjections 204
SECTIONIV THEDRILL:SUCCEEDEVERYDAY 219
CHAPTER16 CreateYourSuperSimpleSales
SuccessPlan 221
CHAPTER17 ComeOutSwinging:ExecuteYour
SalesPlanEveryDay 234
CHAPTER18 Intensity,Velocity,andMentorship:
SpinUptheArcofYourPotential 242
AbouttheAuthor 248
Index 249
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A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
E
verything I know about selling I learned from someone else. My
friendEdKlessoftenquotesCharlesMurray’sbookHumanAccom-
plishment, which states that only 4,002 people ever had original
ideas,andeveryone else issimplyborrowing. Idon’thave anyideaifthis
is true, but the subject matter discussed in this book certainly meets the
‘‘borrowing’’ criteria. Over my 25-year career in sales, I have read hun-
dreds of books, attended classes, and worked with some of the best and
brightest trainers and practitioners in the business. I have learned some-
thing of value from every one. To those unnamed and unrecognized who
havehelpedtoshapemyunderstandingandbeliefsaroundtheconceptsof
what it takes to succeed in sales, I offer my profound thanks and deepest
gratitude.Mycareertodatehasbeenablast,andIfeeltrulyluckytohave
thechancetoworkinacareerwhereIgetpaidtohelppeoplechangethe
arcoftheirpotential,andimprovethequalityoftheirlives.
Whenreferringtospecificcontentinthebook,Ihaveattemptedwhen
possibletorecognizetheauthororcreator.IfIhavefailedtoprovideade-
quaterecognition,itisthroughmyownignorance,andnoattempttotake
credit for what is not of my own making. In particular, I have benefited
greatlyfromtheworksofZigZiglarandMahanKhalsa.Ifyouhaven’tyet
readtheirworks,Iencourageyoutodoso.Asyoureadthistext,itwillbe
impossible to miss the influence of these two very gifted writers, thought
leadersandsalespractitioners.
Foryears,mydreamofwritingabooklivedonlyinmythoughtsasIran
alongUniversityBoulevardinJacksonville,Florida.Itwasn’tuntilothers
badgered me into believing that I could and should pursue writing one
that it actually grew out of the ‘‘impossible dream’’ phase and into the ‘‘I
could actually do this’’ phase. However, bringing the dream of writing a
booktotherealityofwritingabookisalongandinterestingjourney,and
onethatisn’ttraveledalone.Inotherwords,Ihadatonofhelp.
vii
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viii Acknowledgments
To my friend and running buddy Steve Shaull, for not cutting me an
inchofslack.Ever.
ToBobSandelands,thebestsalespersonIknow,forkickingmyassinto
committing toadateto completeabook in2009—which set thelaws of
expectation and attraction in motion, and without which, the book sim-
plywouldneverhavehappened.
TomyparticularfriendTomHume,amarketinggenius,forsendingme
Sophfronia Scott’s book, Business by the Book, which actually led me to
workwithhertocreateanoutlineandaplanforgettingpublished.
To Sophfronia Scott, author of Business by the Book and president of
The Done For You Writing & Publishing Company, for helping to develop
the concept that would become Kick Your Own Ass, her encouragement
and assistance in pursuing a publishing agreement with John Wiley &
Sons,Inc.Hiringacoachwasagiantstepforward,andsheisterrific.
TomyprofessionalcolleagueRonBaker,thoughtleaderandauthorof
numerousbooksonthesubjectofvaluepricing,forhiswillingnesstocre-
ateanintroductiononmybehalf.
To Sage, my employer and a great company with which to work, for
providing me the opportunity to focus my greatest strengths for the most
good,andfortheirsupportofthiseffort.
Bytheway,ifyou,orsomeoneyouknow,areinthemarkettoradically
improve your business performance, look us up at www.sagenorthamerica
.com.WehaveaccountingandCRMsolutionsfornearlyeverybusiness—
even yours. (Hey, I can’t resist plugging my company. I’m in sales. It’s
whatwedo.)
ToTomMiller,forhisremarkableabilitytolistenwithoutjudging,his
even-keeledapproachtoproblemsolving,andhiscommitmenttohelping
our partners succeed. Also, for his love of good food in out-of-the-way
locations.
To Ed Kless, who continuously challenges my thinking and prods me
intoachievingbetterresults.
ToTaylorMacdonald,forhisfriendshipandhisinsightinseeingsome-
thinginmethatIdidn’tknowexisted,andencouragingmetopursueit.
AveryspecialthankstoDr.PhillipR.Yates,Ph.D.forhistremendous
contribution to the project, specifically the content in Chapter 6, ‘‘The
Will Killers.’’ His insight, wisdom, and knowledge of the core issues that
prevent usfromchangingourlife’strajectory wereinstrumental.Further-
more,hispracticalexperienceandtheskillsandprocessesthatheutilizes
to help his clients change the arc of their potential, thus improving the