It had been years – decades, really – since I’d been in a situation like this:
On a ‘stage’, with a band, guitar around my neck, in front of an audience… and I was loving every second of it.
(‘Stage’ in quotes, because really it was ‘us against the back wall in a local restaurant last summer, but still)
The people were grooving and so was the band, but c’mon… the song proper had long ended, we’d been jamming and soloing for a good while now on the back of it, and it was time to call the tune to a close.
Except we hadn’t really rehearsed ending songs.
During rehearsals, songs mostly just fell apart at the end.
(No, we weren’t prepared to play live – it just… kinda happened. Long story)
A quick look around, to check in with the guys – I could tell they were all wondering ‘where next, Martin?’
I nodded, signalled, and… bam. A perfect, tight, together, way to end a song.
Now here’s the thing: I’m not a ‘band leader’. I’ve seen musicians do it, but it was all new to me.
I just did what felt natural, and everyone played along, and it all ended well (ba-dum-tshhh…).
And that’s a sale. Selling is nothing more or less than moving forward with people, in a way everyone is happy about.
At that moment, without even thinking, I ‘sold’ the guys the ending of the song, and they were happy to buy.
And leadership plays a big role in selling.
Not because you need to ‘control the conversation’ (or the band), but because unless there’s a plan and someone to keep track of its implementation, people don’t move forward.
Leadership means plans get implemented right, and good leadership means everyone is happy.
And you want folk to move forward, right? I mean, does your business exist because something good happens for your buyers…?
They move forward in their life, in their well-being, in their status or skills or wealth or career?
Right, then in order for them to move forward, you need to learn how to move forward *with* them – i.e.’selling’ or ‘enrollment’.
Because unless they buy, they don’t get your help moving forward.
And that means you don’t get to have the impact you want, or the revenue, or the lifestyle – or, indeed, the ability to invest in growing your business so that you get to have a bigger impact.
Not pretty.
But, everything gets different, and better – and sold – when you move forward with people.
Because really, that’s all that selling is.
Each day, I talk to people who are doing something good, and they want to reach more people.
And when they learn, and internalise, the framework I teach, they go from ‘selling sucks and it’s hard’ to ‘huh, this ain’t so bad, and I’m getting the hang of it’.
Want some of that for yourself as well?
Cheers,
Martin
