In Sandler, we have a concept we call equal business stature. When you're talking with a prospect, you really have to believe and get them to believe that your stature, from a business level, is equal to theirs.
Here's one situation where we can see that play out.
A friend of mine sells medical devices, things that go inside people's bodies. And there's a lot of money to be made in that industry. And who does he call on? Doctors. They make the decisions of what devices to buy and put into their patients.
Last time I talked to him, he was his company's number two salesperson. I asked him, “What are you doing differently that you out-produce most of your peers?”
He wasn't sure, so we discussed it for a while. After several minutes, he said, “Oh my goodness, I just figured something out.”
“What is it?” I asked.
He responded, “I started thinking about everybody on my team. I am the only one that does not address all my prospects as 'Doctor.' Everyone else goes into a sales call addressing their prospect as Doctor Jones or Doctor Smith. I just call them by their first name.”
Think about the power of that! If you're on an equal level with someone, will you call them “doctor,” or will you call them by their first name?
By their first name!
Instantaneously, we've established an unequal business stature when we call someone “doctor.” It's tiny things like that that make just enough difference to make or break equal business stature. And if we break equal business stature, we're done.
The next time you're on a sales call, remember, no “doctor” needed.
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