It's 2012 and everyone is a sales person. From the stay-at-home mom with a brilliant idea, to the MBA who recently got laid off and is finally launching his own firm, and even the account executive at a software company who is aiming toward the $100,000 mark for the current quarter. Look around. Do you see the Caribou sign above your head, the PR girl pitching her story to the journalist across the room or the Christian evangelizing with a recently published track on hand? They are all selling, something. Forget the misconception that salespeople belong in the used car lot or on the floor at your nearest Verizon store; they are everywhere and they are meaningfully needed to get us out of this economic rut.

In 2006, Selling Is Everyone's Business: What It Takes to Create a Great Salesperson, co-authored by The Next Level Sales Consulting firm's President, Steve Johnson, was released. It was a practical, readable, fun guide to nurture your inner sales coach. It was based on the authors experience working with thousands of sales teams and sales coaches. The book’s format-packed with dialogue scripts, charts, templates, and colorful real-life examples is different. “Organizations know that the quickest way to improve their salespeople is to improve their sales coaches because the coaches have the most leverage—when a sales coach improves, the salespeople improve,” says Johnson.

“The challenge is that for most coaching is a vague, intangible, and nebulous concept. So like other challenging topics, there are a lot of theories out there, but few proven-effective best practices. Want to make yourself indispensable? Teach and coach others to sell, sell, sell, and sell some more. That's right. Nothing is more important to a company than bringing in revenue, and no one brings in the revenue like a good sales coach,” he continues.

Today, Doug Grady, speaker, entrepreneur, musician, and President of High Achievers Network, strives to reinvent the miscalculations of unrealistic strategies that simply sit well on published pages. He may actually turn out to be the Father of “The Sales in All,” mentality and we are vouching for his elated methods.

“I began working with big names such as Brian Tracy and Tom Hopkins; and shared the platforms with Tony Robbins and Denis Waitley while speaking before companies like Nextel, Re/Max, Bank of America, Prudential, and State Farm. Yet, I felt something was missing. First of all, I come from the MTV era and my attention deficit is slim. Sitting or standing in front of others and offering my expertise with no rhythm, would bore me. I would also question whether the same message or strategies applied to all individuals, regardless of their personality,” says Grady.

And that's how it all happened. Grady got up in front of a crowd one day; placed his banjo on his knee and began to sign a parody about entrepreneurship to the tune of Gloria Gaynor's “I will Survive...” to “I will Commit.”

Music? What does music have to do with sales conferences, sales coaching... sales? Did you know music has a positive effect on the concentration level of its listeners? It is also found to improve one’s memory. Research has found that the silence between two musical notes triggers the brain cells and neurons, which are responsible for the development of sharp memory. “Music plays a vital role in enhancing creativity. Music has a positive impact on the right side of the brain. Music triggers the brain center, which deal with the development of creativity. It provides an internal discipline. Rhythm is known to help the students learn math. Music also stimulates the brain centers that deal with thinking, analyzing, and planning, thus enhancing one’s organizational skills,” says Manali Oak, researcher and writer for Buzzle.com.

What about Grady's message?

Doug Grady offers sincerity. Doug Grady offers the right ticket; without the artificial additives and a pinch of entertainment. He presents the facts, as far as what needs to be done in a sales arena and he caters to all. “My current clients are stay-at-home moms that have exceptional ideas; think about it: who are the world's best multitaskers? Moms are. Who birth exceptional creative ideas due to their sixth sense? Moms do,” he says with a smile. “I speak to audiences of all walks of life, generations, and genres. Each one of us is a sales person. We each have to represent ourselves, all the time, even when we walk into a coffee shop. What do we, as salespeople, do wrong? Not ask enough questions. It’s as though we are scared of learning more about the other person or giving the slight glimpse that we want to discover more. Given the fact we ask questions, you learn more, and hence you can learn what they want to buy! We as people need to think of the sales task as that of a journalist or even psychologists...they are always asking questions and they even get a smile when they ask away. Also; when you ask questions, it shows you care about the other person and not about you.”

Salespeople are categorized as one of the least ethical careers to choose from. But, do you know why? Because it’s all about me, me, me. Patricia Weber, who has spent the last 20 years coaching sales, states, “The image of salespeople, maybe even dating back to before the bridge scammers in the 1900s, is usually filled with less than positive words like—deceiving, pushy, fast talking, exaggerating, and at least a dozen more.” But then again, we are all salespeople. Without sales, no business can bear fruit. 

“Once your prospect is within realization; evaluation begins. Human beings are evaluation machines. Evaluations are simply questions your prospects are asking which much be answered to their satisfaction before they buy. Your prospect consciously or unconsciously asks questions in four general areas: Why you? Why your company? Why your product/service? Why now? Failure to satisfactorily answer just one of these areas can kill your sale. Ask questions. What’s most important to you in? Why is that so important? What do you like most about your current situation? Why do you like that so much? Why did you decide to go with XYZ company? What’s not working? If you could change anything about your current situation, what would it be? What concerns do you have in this area? On a scale of 1 to 10, how are things going in this area? What’s missing to make it a 10?”

“I don't believe in an elevator pitch and I ask for forgiveness for those who do. Yet, I can't relate to one specific strategy or specific methods to answer the demands or the needs for all people. I believe in building the character of the person selling and understanding their weaknesses in order to get across to the client, prospect, or people in general. You can't sell anything unless you know where you are and where you are heading,” says Grady. With assertiveness in his voice, his words remind us of the famed proverb that states who can't love anyone, unless you love yourself first. We know Grady is on to something with his music, but more than that, is he bridging the platform between the self-help industry and the world of selling into one conference. His method of delivery is unique and radical, and is offered live, online, via podcasts, and CDs.

He concludes, "Don't forget to ask for referrals! Yes; that is a big one...Ask who do you know that can help me get to where I need to go..."