#7: Becoming indispensable, with Harvey Mackay

On this episode, we’ve got some great advice from Harvey Mackay.

Learning how to be special – a differentiator in people's lives – is the key to not only good sales, but to a good life.

If you’ve read any of Harvey Mackay’s bestselling books – such as Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive – or his widely syndicated newspaper column, you know that he proved his ideas by using them in his own business first. When he was 26, he bought a small, failing envelope company – which he has since built into a $100 million business, employing more than 600 people.

Harvey drives his company with the motto: Do what you love, love what you do and deliver more than you promise. One of his biggest keys to success has been powerful networking – not just working on a good "How-do-you-do?" but actually becoming indispensable to others. He’s also famous for tools such as the Mackay 66, a list of the essential things salespeople should know about their prospects and clients.

SHOW NOTES:

02:30  Harvey says there’s one key philosophy that anyone can follow in order to be an effective networker.

03:40  Harvey talks about how important it is to "know thy customer,” and about some strategies from the Mackay 66.

07:25  How can you humanize your selling strategy?

11:05  How does a manager get salespeople to implement the Mackay 66?

14:00  Hiring is one of the hardest things for any business owner. What are the key traits and characteristics that Harvey specifically looks for in a sales person?

16:30  Harvey does something that he admits is “very controversial” in the hiring process.

18:15  The importance of community involvement and volunteerism.

20:50  “The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.”