Sales and Misspelled Words

I've come to the conclusion that, in some cases, there is a parallel between coaches trying to help a client increase sales and someone trying to find a word in the dictionary when they can't spell.

Generally when you asks someone how to spell a word they'll tell you to look it up in the dictionary. When you can't find it the person you asked begins showing you how to use the dictionary. Think about this for a second, I find it one of the dumbest exhibitions of human nature you'll ever have the opportunity to observe. Chances are that the person receiving the lesson in dictionary use knows how to use the book when they have some idea of what they're looking for but if you have no idea how a word is spelled finding it in a book organized around proper spelling isn't a quick task.

To me this is very much like the coach or sales consultant offering to help you increase sales; no one seems to have a plan or program that starts at the beginning. All that I've met and talked to offer improvement in your technique, approach or method assuming you have a technique, approach or method to improve.

My email this morning contained a question from a LinkedIn contact apparently floundering around looking for answers to the sales improvement question. They were looking for someone to show them the starting line or someone with a technique, approach or method they could hire to sell their company's product or service.

I felt compelled to respond to their plea because I've been in the very same situation and continue to have many of the same questions. Unfortunately for both of us I had no answer other than to show him how to use the dictionary and ask that he share any rejects that contacted him.