Don’t Just Read; Study to Get Smarter w/ Harvey MacKay [Episode 671]

Harvey MacKay, author of the New York Times #1 bestsellers Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive and Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt, joins me on this episode.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Andy took some distinct lessons that have stayed with him from Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive. Harvey seeks to bring value and notes that knowledge does not become power until it’s used.
• All seven of Harvey’s books are NYT Bestsellers. Two of them are said by the NYT to be in the top 15 inspirational business books of the last 100 years.
• Harvey suggests a person changes with experience. Study (highlight and take notes) the same classic book each year, and you will learn new information every time.
• Harvey has about 20 coaches — one for each of his activities. Each coach is at the top of their field to give Harvey the best help in that subject. Harvey says that perfect practice makes perfect.
• Andy objects to processes that make sales rep the same. He took the education he received and made it his own. Sales leaders are unique. You become a salesperson.
• Harvey tells each audience that each of them is a salesperson. All day long they negotiate with, persuade, and influence people. A salesperson’s job is to form a relationship with a buyer and then to serve them.
• Harvey asks a buyer questions from a list of 66 that allow the salesperson to humanize their prospect and build deep lasting relationships. Ask as many of the questions as is natural. Always go deep.
• Andy relates an anecdote from his past. After several visits, he discerned that a buyer wanted him to ask about his grandchildren. Once Andy got personal, the buyer gave Andy the order.
• Harvey says when a person with money meets a person with experience, the person with the experience ends up with the money and the person with the money ends up with the experience.
• Don’t believe that customers are too busy to engage in small talk. They want it. The more that technology encroaches on interactions, the more a human touch is needed. Make it a conversation, not an interrogation.
• Harvey tells of a new salesperson looking to make a very large order to a new buyer. He couldn’t answer one of the 66 questions. He wouldn’t have a good chance of making the sale. Nothing replaces face-to-face in person.
• You need to know this one four-letter word: hire. Hire the right person and your business will grow through the roof.