A recent Rain Today article caught my eye because of a unique metaphor employed by the author. Alan Weiss, Ph.D. recounts noticing an insistent pigeon during his daily train commute and how the bird was intent on getting into the train station, despite the interference by a police officer. Weiss writes that those in sales can actually learn something from the pigeon, and his friends who ultimately succeeded in entering the station. “I’m relating all this because the pigeons have learned to go where the food is, in comfortable surroundings despite outside conditions, to master the doors and gates to enter, and to get along with other, transient users of the place,” he writes. “They are also diligent in returning when they are thrown out, never taking it personally.”

While few salespeople have probably compared themselves to a pigeon, Weiss backs up his metaphor with some great tips that those in sales can take away from the birds. He lists ten ways the sales process is similar to the birds’ quest for entrance into the train station. I’ve listed the first five:

1. Find the location of the sustenance.
2. Figure out a way to get in.
3. Elude and avoid the gatekeepers without offending them outright.
4. Co-exist with others who use the place for other reasons.
5. Understand that if others like you are thriving somewhere, the odds are good for you to thrive there.

The remaining tips can be found, along with the main article, here.

RainToday recently highlighted its most popular articles of 2008. One of these articles, “The Dumbest Piece of Sales Advice You’re in Danger of Following,” focused on rejection and the importance of not embracing a failed sales effort. While some sales consultants view rejections as an acceptable part of the sales process, the article’s author, Jill Konrath, heartily disagrees.

“In my opinion, a rejection is a failure. It’s a sales call that did not result in a desirable outcome,” she writes. “If you want to get better at selling, it is imperative to analyze your failures to determine if a different approach could have yielded a better outcome.”

She goes on to write that rejections can be used as a type of data, something that can be analyzed for future success. She likens rejections to a puzzle and urges salespeople to decipher rejections rather than shrug them off. Read the full article here.

Experience can be a wonderful teacher, as well as a catalyst for opportunity. But, many believe that with experience, comes perfection. This is definitely not the case. Even the most seasoned vets make mistakes, some of which are avoidable. In regards to selling services, David Palmer, senior associate at Fripp & Associates, reports this is often the case due to complacent salespeople who “believe that they ‘know it all’ as a result of producing so well for so long.” He lists ten mistakes that are made by senior salespeople:

1. Industry Ignorance
2. Too Few Questions
3. Limited Business Knowledge
4. Low Emotional Connection
5. Organization Structure
6. Company Imperatives
7. Objection Responses
8. Exceptional Presenter
9. Master Negotiator
10. Systematic Relationships

Palmer gives great insight, examples, and advice for each “mistake,” all of which can be found here, (in addition to a final “eleventh mistake”).