Well, let me tell ya ’bout this fella, Charles Sale, and his “huntin’” thing. Not huntin’ like for rabbits or deer, mind you, but huntin’ for sales, like sellin’ stuff. This Charles, he wrote somethin’ called “The Specialist,” way back when, in 1929. Imagine that, almost a hundred years ago! Heard tell he got the idea from some wood-carvin’ fella in his town.
Now, this “huntin’” ain’t just any kind of sellin’. It’s the hard kind, the kind where you gotta find new folks to sell to, not just the ones who always come around. Like, say, you sellin’ eggs. You got your regular customers, sure, but huntin’ means you gotta go out and find folks who ain’t never bought your eggs before. Maybe go to the next town over, or knock on doors you ain’t never knocked on.
This book, “The Specialist,” it’s about a fella who’s really good at sellin’ one particular thing. He ain’t tryin’ to sell ya everything under the sun, just that one thing. And he knows that thing inside and out. Like my grandma used to say, “Know your chickens, and you’ll know your eggs.” Same kinda idea, I reckon. You gotta know what you’re sellin’ like the back of your hand.
- Know your stuff
- Find new folks to sell to
- Be good at talkin’ to people
Folks these days, they call it “developin’ new territories” or “major accounts.” Sounds fancy, don’t it? But it’s just the same old huntin’, just with bigger words. You gotta be good at talkin’ to people, that’s for sure. Gotta make ’em trust ya. Can’t be sellin’ snake oil, gotta be sellin’ somethin’ good, somethin’ folks actually need. And you gotta be patient, ’cause huntin’ takes time. You ain’t gonna catch a fish the first time you throw your line in the water, ya know?
They say there’s skills to this huntin’ thing, like findin’ leads and talkin’ to potential customers. Leads, that’s just fancy talk for folks who might be interested in buyin’ what you’re sellin’. And prospectin’, well, that’s just the lookin’ part. Like when you’re lookin’ for mushrooms in the woods, you gotta know where to look. Same with huntin’ for sales, you gotta know where to find the folks who might wanna buy.
Some folks are just born with the gift of gab, they could sell ice to Eskimos, as they say. But even if you ain’t one of them, you can still learn to be a good “hunter.” It’s about learnin’ the ropes, figurin’ out what works and what don’t. And it’s about workin’ hard. Nothin’ in this life comes easy, ‘specially not sellin’ stuff. You gotta be willin’ to put in the effort.
And if you’re lookin’ to hire someone to do this huntin’ for ya, well, you gotta look for certain things. Someone who’s good at talkin’, someone who ain’t afraid to knock on doors, someone who knows their stuff. It’s like lookin’ for a good farmhand, you want someone strong, someone who knows how to work the land, and someone who you can trust. Same thing with a sales hunter, gotta find someone who you can trust to bring in the bacon.
Some folks even make these fancy “sales playbooks.” Like a recipe book for sellin’, I guess. Tells ya what to say, who to talk to, how to close the deal. Might be helpful for some folks, I reckon. But me, I always figured the best way to learn is by doin’. Get out there, talk to people, and see what works. That’s how my grandpa learned to farm, and that’s how I learned to bake pies. Just gotta get your hands dirty, so to speak.
So, this Charles Sale, he was onto somethin’ with his “huntin’” idea. It ain’t just about sellin’, it’s about buildin’ relationships, findin’ new folks, and workin’ hard. It’s about knowin’ your stuff and bein’ good at talkin’ to people. And it’s about bein’ patient, ’cause huntin’ takes time. Just like farmin’, or bakin’, or anything else worth doin’. You gotta be willin’ to put in the work, and eventually, you’ll reap the rewards.
Tags: [Charles Sale, The Specialist, Sales Hunting, Sales Skills, Prospecting, Lead Generation, Sales Strategy, Sales Playbook, Develop New Territories, Major Accounts]
