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WALTER MCKAY PRESIDENT SANDLER TRAINING SALES Ten years ago, I suffered from terrible insomnia (as if there is any other kind). One morning I was leading a training class in Greenville and was barely able to function. As I staggered into the very full training room, one attendee said loudly, in her very distinct southern accent: “Walker, you look like Hayell!!” (Do let me say: I have a well-deserved reputation for being direct and my clients often follow my cue.) I thanked her for noticing and told her that I was really having a bad bout of insomnia. “You should eat more fish!!!” she replied, loudly and insistently.I kept my emotions to myself, chugged a cup of coffee, and went on to teach the class. Two hours later, her comment, as well as my reaction to it, really stuck in my craw. Why had I gotten so angry? She certainly had no ill will. In fact, she was actually trying to help. What was it about that interaction that made me flip out, if only in my mind? Then I got it. She didn’t understand the details of my issue. She hadn’t asked any questions, and therefore she hadn’t learned enough about my insomnia yet to earn the right to solve my problem. How often is our well meaning advice dismissed because we did not take the time to really understand? IT’S ABOUT MORE THAN JUST THE FISH About the author... All you do is help them figure out what’s real. It’s not just a business philosophy, it’s a life mantra for Walker McKay. Innately curious, disarmingly honest, and—let’s just say it-liable to say anything at any time to any one—he’s a trusted coach and mentor to entrepreneurs and business owners across the state. Walker is a proud graduate of Washington and Lee University. Prior to serving as president of Sandler Training, he worked in commercial real estate, a career choice for which he says he was “wildly unprepared.” That led to his interest in helping other high achievers learn the skills they need to effectively navigate a business world in which everything can become a negotiation. As salespeople, it is our job to fully explore and understand, to diagnose before we prescribe a treatment. Let’s suppose that the conversation had been instead: Client: “Insomnia? Tell me more about that?” Me: “I am stuck in this pattern of going to bed at 10:00 exhausted, then I wake up at 1:30 am like a shot has gone off. I am then wide awake until 5:00 when I usually fall into a deep sleep until my children wake up at 5:45.” Client: “How long has this been going on?” Me: “Six months, at least.” Client: “Wow, that’s terrible. What have you tried to do about it?” Me: “I bought a new mattress, went to my doctor, gave up caffeine after lunch, quit drinking alcohol (for a couple of days), bought a bunch of relaxation CD’s, you name it. Client: “What do you suppose that has cost you?” Me: “Including lost productivity? Probably $50k.” Client: “Couldn’t be that much…” Me: “It’s probably more!” Client: “This may sound like a stupid question, but does it impact you personally that you aren’t sleeping well?” Me: “It’s killing me. I am not sure how much longer I can take it.” Client: “I am so sorry. Have you given up trying to fix it?” Me: “I can’t. I just don’t know what else to do… Client: “I have a friend with a similar condition who was told to eat more salmon because of the Omega 3’s. Helped her considerably. You open to trying that?” The message is the same: eat more fish. But this time the client earned the right to share her solution. Had it happened that way, I’d probably have gone straight to the store and eaten salmon on my drive home! The point is this. Don’t rush in with a solution until you have earned the right to offer it. Then instead of looking like an idiot, you’ll be on your way to a trusting relationship. 72 For more on this topic visit InsideBlackBox.com/sales
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