The 49 Rules

It's one thing to be good at marketing. In marketing, you choose the areas to fish and select the right bait and plan the finer details of your fishing expedition. However, if you get a bite, can you land your prize? This latter part of the process is called Sales. In this episode, we discuss David Sandler's 49 rules of sales. According to summaries.com, the rules can be divided thus: Rules 1 - 6 are the core concepts of the Sandler System and can be used to transform your selling process. Rules 7 - 33 are the heart and soul of executing your sales process. You have to do what works. Rules 34 - 49 are all about reminding yourself of those principles which are all too easy to forget. David Olney and Steve Davis share their insights into these rules and how to apply them. We also stretch the boundaries of content this episode, with a reflection on some sizzling consumer marketing commentary by comedian, Chris Rock. In fact, the show stretches more than a pair of Lululemon's yoga pants! We traverse a very common problem that can frustrate your website, domain, and online services usage before finishing off with an ice cold, AI-generated Coke. Talking About Marketing podcast episode notes with timecodes 02:18 Person This segment focusses on you, the person, because we believe business is personal. Selective Outrage A few weeks ago, Steve watched the Chris Rock comedy special, Selective Outrage. At one point, Rock launches a tirade against the sportswear retailer, Lululemon. He ridicules the signs they apparently have in their storefronts saying they do not support racism, sexism, discrimination, or hate. But he then goes on to note that they sell $100 yoga pants, so they must hate somebody: the poor. It was a well-delivered joke and it picks at an uncomfortable topic in the world of marketing. We do believe our businesses should stand for positive, community-building principles but maybe that's better done by living and demonstrating those principles. Placing signs in shop windows or posting catchy, cute value messages in social media, is a hamfisted, short cut for trying to get kudos for being good. Steve also saw a superb Welcome to Country at the Thunderbirds game on the weekend and noted how it was authentic and earnest, contrasting greatly by the increasingly long and convoluted Acknowledgements Of Country appearing at the beginning of some theatre shows. Again, it takes time, effort, and expense to have an elder appear at the event, so some organisations just pile on the "make up" as they confect concern. 13:32 Principles This segment focusses principles you can apply in your business today. Sandler Training's 49 Rules The topic of sales training has come up recently in mentoring we've been delivering, and David referenced Sandler Training's 49 Rules. As you'll hear in this discussion, there are some interesting points from the principles encapsulated by David Sandler that can make a positive impact on your business. David Olney is particularly taken by the Power of the Future Yes. Another point of interest is Sandler's transactional analysis. Sandler argues that in any sales process the emotional child of the buyer must be excited (emotional drive overlaps a lot with inbound marketing), the adult within the buyer needs to be able to reason it is good (the rational mind at work at the end of the process), the parent gives permission (emotional and rational together). Meanwhile, Steve uncovered the vivid imagery of Rule Number 2, Don't Spill Your Candy In the Lobby. He plays a snippet from Dave Mattson's interpretation of this rule and Steve thinks it's pertinent. Instead of rushing to "spill our beans", we first need to make sure our prospect actually wants our beans. 27:18 Problems This segment answers questions we've received from clients or listeners. Check The Spelling Steve had a client battling to register for a paid Zoom account over the weekend. He offered to step in and help but she was keen to keep trying a little longer. Found out this morning that after 48 hours of struggle and wondering why she was not able to log back in to pay for her upgraded account, she has been mistyping her email address. Yes, a simple typo is sometimes to blame. 29:16 Perspicacity This segment is designed to sharpen our thinking by reflecting on a case study from the past. Coca-Cola Masterpiece Does Coke add life to AI or vice versa? This is a little on the side of the ledger for “do it because you can rather than because you should”, reminding me of the early 3D movies where an actor sweeping would pause, look at the camera, lift their broom, and gently poke it at the audience “because they could”. What saves this from purely being a simple showcase of using AI in film, is that the playfulness is on brand with the Coke advertising legacy; they’ve simply swapped beach antics, surfing, or novelty extreme sports for a romp through the art world. What is unexpected and unintentional messaging, however, is that the protagonist in this Coke ad is not being physically active. Instead of cartwheeling around the place (and burning off those syrupy calories) he’s just sitting there, passively seeking inspiration from the AI zeitgeist. Hmmm, sounds familiar? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.