You Don't Have to be an Attack Dog to Make Millions in Sales

By Blair Singer

It's no secret that dog owners are said to bear an uncanny resemblance to their pets. A quick walk in the park proves hilarious testimony to this theory. What’s kept a little quieter is the discovery that these similarities go slightly deeper than the baggy jowls of the Bulldog or the perked-up nose of the Pekinese.

More than fur-deep
Is it the dogs that take on the personality of the owners or vice versa? Whatever the reason, each breed does have its very specific personalities and traits. And there is a large solid gold bone to be dug up and enjoyed for the salesperson, sales manager or business person who understands them.

How to be a hot dog salesperson
You and your sales team must first identify and understand your own 'breed', and then the breeds of those around you. You can then leverage your strengths and personalities, so the right pooch is sent to hunt the right prey.

Chasing the stick - being doggone stubborn
A friend of mine owns an executive placement firm (okay, he's a headhunter!). He and his partner had been working on landing a huge petrochemical account for many months. They had pitched and presented, and presented some more. Despite being turned down many times, they were not about to go down without a fight - even when fate turned against them…

During a presentation to the firm's CEO, a leg on the flip chart stand started to give way. As the flip chart came down, my friend, who was leaning on it in mid-sentence, went down with it. Unfazed - and horizontal - he continued his pitch. There was no giving up. He was like a stubborn dog, refusing to give up the stick.

His audience was laughing so hard that the rest of his pitch wasn't heard. But when he finally got up, the CEO said, "Okay, okay, if you want it that bad, you’ve got it!"

SalesDogs™ – a breed of its own
You may find the comparison between salespeople and dogs outright offensive. Fair enough. But anyone who has made big dollars selling something possesses, at some level, dog-like qualities! There’s the seemingly inane knack of shrugging off adversity and continually coming back for more, or of chasing that stick no matter how far it's thrown – traits that are not unlike those of your favourite pooch.

SalesDogs™ is a unique methodology for understanding the different 'breeds' of salespeople. By comparing and contrasting the traits and characteristics of your salespeople with the five distinct SalesDogs™ breeds, you will soon be able to identify the type of dog that you are, the type that you have in your 'kennel', and how to train those dogs to maximise their attributes and sales success.

How to think like a winning SalesDog™
The first step to SalesDog™ sales success is to determine your team's selling ability. To save valuable selling time, training resources and disappointment, I have developed the SalesDog™ Aptitude Test to determine if you have the right mindset to be successful at sales.

What happens if you don't? You can change it as fast as you can test it! A ten-minute training session can be the difference between the ability to sell or not. And with only five skills and four critical mindsets to learn, you’ll be on your way to sales success and prosperity in no time.

For those of you who are still offended by being compared to a dog – the analogy is pure compliment! Sometimes you’re a fighter, sometimes you're a lover, sometimes you're playful, and sometimes serene. Get savvy on 'canine world dynamics', and start selling with the precision and tenacity of a HOT dog on the hunt.

So, which are you?

Excerpt reprinted with the kind permission of Blair Singer. ©2001 SalesDogs™