There are two main types of communication that take place in selling situations: conflict and cooperation. Which type of communication youre using will have a profound impact on whether or not you get the sale.

Conflict takes place as the result of the vast majority of sales processes and especially as the result of those taught in traditional sales training, which usually goes as follows: The salesperson initiates the sales process through a cold call. Because the prospect does not expect or anticipate the call, sales resistance automatically exists and the salesperson is forced to overcome it. This is conflict. When the first appointment takes place, the prospect again has his defenses up in anticipation of a pushy sales pitch. As a result, frivolous objections are thrown out that the salesperson must overcome. More conflict. At the end of the appointment, the salesperson must secure a time for a second appointment in order to present a proposal. The prospect says to call next week for a time, but the salesperson wants to secure it now. Even more conflict. The second appointment takes place, the proposal is presented, the salesperson asks for the order, and now the prospect really has objections. Conflict. The salesperson works to overcome them and then uses a sleazy technique such as the infamous alternate close to again ask for the order. Conflict at its worst.

Now lets take a look at a sale where the state of mind is not conflict but cooperation:

The prospect learns of the salespersons offering through the salespersons thoughtful, organized self-marketing plan. The prospect contacts the salesperson and asks for a meeting, to which the salesperson of course agrees. Cooperation. During the first appointment, the prospect willingly explains the need that exists and the salesperson listens and takes down all pertinent information. They mutually agree to a time to review a solution. Cooperation. The day for the proposal appointment arrives and the prospect is excited to finally learn of a way to solve his problem. The salesperson presents it and the prospect agrees that it looks great. More cooperation. There is no need for the salesperson to engage in any ethically questionable closing tactics because the prospect sees the value in the proposal and simply buys. Cooperation at its finest.

Ask yourself, do your sales processes look more like the first or second example? If youre experiencing conflict instead of cooperation with your prospects, perhaps its time for you to drop the old methods of prospecting and selling and learn a new way that fosters goodwill and cooperation. The answer is self-marketing. Instead of annoying people with cold calling and pushing them to buy with tacky closes, it will induce qualified prospects to call you and simply agree to buy.

Frank Rumbauskas

Frank J. Rumbauskas, Jr., author of the New York Times Best-Seller "Never Cold Call Again: Achieve Sales Greatness Without Cold Calling," spent several difficult years in sales, frustrated and convinced that there must be a better way than the familiar chants of "cold call more" and "increase your activity" so frequently heard from well-meaning but otherwise clueless sales managers.

While working as an account executive for a Fortune 100 company in the mid 1990s, Mr. Rumbauskas was mentored by another A.E. who went from entry- level sales to upper management in 3 years, something unheard of in this particular organization. This top producer revealed a very basic principle to Mr. Rumbauskas. He immediately applied it and suddenly began to achieve tremendous results. That simple principle forms the basis of this entire program. Mr. Rumbauskas has taken it, perfected it, designed systems around it, and is now able to apply it to any and all sales jobs. He went on to successfully start and run two sales agencies based on these principles before moving into sales training.

His biggest strength compared to other sales trainers and authors is the fact that he is now a business owner who meets with salespeople on a regular basis. He is careful to observe everything they do right as well as everything they do wrong, and his training materials reflect this firsthand experience.

Originally from Linden, New Jersey, Mr. Rumbauskas now resides in Phoenix, Arizona. He is actively involved with various community and civic organizations in the Phoenix area, and is an active entrepreneur - he owns a mortgage protection life insurance agency which uses the principles he teaches to generate business without cold calling, and is a major holder in an emerging wireless internet company. He enjoys reading the great number of success stories we receive from students of this program. If you have a success story you haven't yet shared with us, please do so!