The trouble with the internet is it presents itself wrapped in a cloak of
timely-legitimacy regardless of the ‘time’ in which it is read.
In May 2008, I receive an angry email; not so courteously written. In fact, it was downright vitriolic. It came from an American VP of Sales who had read my article “What Successful Sellers Know – Others Don’t … The Subtle Art of Closing”. It had been reprinted on a blogger’s website. To say the least, he took unkind exception to it.
The article stated that most sellers think the Close takes place at the End of the sale but in fact, successful sellers know the Close can often start even before a contact with the customer.
I likened this strategy to what was going on in the world at that time. The day before [Wednesday, October 29, 2003] on CNN, the networks and all the papers, George W Bush stood aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in front of a sign that read, “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!”.
It was presumed, the war in Iraq was won, and it was won in only days.
I used this example to illustrate that the success of the mission could not be measured in the few days of fighting but rather the many months of preparations by ‘Special-Ops’ forces that worked behind the lines – ahead of time – ensuring the strategy was victorious. It certainly fit with the core message of my article which was, in sales, the success of the sale is often predicated on the quality of the Close which starts with preparation at the beginning of the sales-process, not the End.
Fast forward to 2008 keeping in mind that George W was wrong in his War in Iraq estimation and think about a VP of Sales who reads my article for the first time and thinks that its content is Current.
It bears repeating: The trouble with the internet is it presents itself wrapped in a cloak of timely-legitimacy regardless of the time in which it is read. Or to quote Copi, “In real life, context is critical”.
“The full force of argument and counterargument can be grasped, in most circumstances, only with the understanding of the context in which those arguments are presented. In real life, context is critical”. [Introduction to Logic / Irving M. Copi, Carl Cohen – 13th Ed].
The methodology about when a Close takes place, will stand the test of time. In contrast, however, the ‘Times’ themselves, more specifically, their ability to serve as legitimate example-evidence, have a limited shelf life. Clearly, five years of USA/Iraq history, in tandem with the appearance of the current legitimacy of my ancient article, posted on a stranger’s blog… had come back to Bite ME!
The Bottom Line:
The unbridled nature of the internet has its strengths and weaknesses. One being, it exists in a perpetual state of recent authenticity. It would bode well for readers and bloggers alike to temper their interpretations until they can time-frame the context or circumstances in which the editorial / blog was written.
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Paul Shearstone MACP, NLP/CCP, is a recognized expert on Sales and Persuasion. He is an International Speaker, Psychotherapeutic Counsellor, NLP Therapist, twice Certified Life & Business Coaching Practitioner, and Author of several books including, Up Your Income! Solution Selling for Profitability and Amazon #1 Best Seller: 3X Sales Success! How to move your sales team to the Top 1%.
To comment on this article or book Paul for your next successful event: 289-234-3544 / 833-285-3544 www.success150.com paul@success150.com