SL: What is
the Platinum Rule and why is it important to sales
people?
TA: One of the key
premises of selling is the key of adaptability.
If a salesperson
goes out just to "pitch" a product without taking into
account what the customer needs, they might as well have
sent out a mail piece. Instead they need to adjust their
approach to the customer. The customer's needs tell us
what to sell. Their style tells us how to
sell. The Platinum Rule is about adaptability. It is
selling people the way they are comfortable buying, not
they way we are comfortable selling. Some people like
bottom-line information, some people like detail, some
people like to establish rapport and some people like to
have exciting goals. These are only a couple of the
differences that people have in their styles.
If I try to sell in
a detailed way to a person who is bottom-line oriented,
or vice versa, it will make the buyer extremely
uncomfortable and very unlikely to buy. Just think how
you react when you are approached by a style opposite of
yours. Many of us have had the opportunity to see the
negative result in these situations. When the opposite is
true and people are comfortable, they will be much more
willing to listen and the trust level will be higher.
These are essential ingredients for a successful
sale.
SL: How can sales
people become better at applying the Platinum
Rule?
TA: First,
salespeople need to know the rule. Second, they need to
be willing to change. They have to be able to ask
questions, not just tell and sell. It is helping the
customer. They can become better by focusing on better
listening skills, then being able and willing to adjust
their selling style. The foundation of the the Platinum
Rule is really empathy in action. Being considerate.
Instead of focusing on just your agenda, you focus on the
other person's.
SL: Does this rule
apply across the board at all levels in an
organization?
TA: It applies
across the board whether you're a CEO or it's your first
day on the job. We all have to deal with
people.
In a recent issue
of Business Week magazine, Jack Welch, the CEO of GE, was
interviewed. They asked him what made him successful.
First, he is approachable. And, second he spends 50% of
his time listening to people. He makes people feel heard.
When people are listened to they feel special.
SL: Have you got a
real life examples of how the Platinum Rule works in a
sales situation?
TA: There was a
specific situation where a person was building an
insurance agency in New England. He had one employee to
start with. He decided to use the Platinum Rule for
recruiting and training. He recruited people who were
able to apply the rule. He trained them on their unique
strengths and weaknesses related to their style.
He also trained
them on how to treat customers. Ultimately, he became the
single biggest agency, not only in his insurance company
but in all of New England.
Another person was
negotiating to buy a home and was using the Platinum
rule. His bid was actually $10,000 less than another, but
the seller took his bid. Why? Because the seller felt
more comfortable with the buyer's ability to perform.
Plus, he had many friends in the neighborhood and he
wanted to be sure the buyer wouldn't create problems for
the neighbors.
SL: Is there
anything that people need to be careful about when using
the Platinum Rule?
TA: Well, mainly it
is to not stereotype people, usually negatively. People
are often like rainbows and depending on external forces
my style my be somewhat different depending on the
situation. We need to be savvy enough to size up what
mode the other person is in and adjust accordingly. Keep
our receptors up. Just like someone's needs might change,
their style might be different depending on the stress
the person happens to be encountering.
SL: Tony, You have
an example you use that illustrates how a friend of
yours, who is a very direct person, calls your home and
asks for you. How does the call go?
TA: When he calls
and my wife Sue happens to answer, he'll say something
like this: "Sue, Dennis, Tony" For the longest time Sue
was put off by this abruptness, but then she realized it
was just his way of cutting out all superfluous words.
His style is direct. She knows it means , "Sue, hi, how
are you? This is Dennis. Is Tony there?"
SL: Are there any
new trends or developments when it comes to working
effectively with the Platinum Rule?
TA: Not to speak
of. The concept has a long history of predicting success.
But the concept does keep getting refined. It can be used
in sales, in negotiating, in customer service encounters,
in building teams with the proper mix of people on a
them, even in a marriage. It all comes down to how we use
the basic concept of adaptability to improve
relationships. It is adapting to the other person's style
and treating them the way they prefer to be treated.
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June 15, 1998
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