In “Seinfeld” speak, “hand” is the term for having the upper-hand in a relationship. The person who doesn’t have the upper-hand is said to have “no hand.”
“We all want the hand. Hand is tough to get. You gotta’ get the hand right from the opening,” Jerry tells George.
Claude Diamond, an old-school sales professional who now runs his own California property management company, is not so worried about hand. Diamond says at some point, sales conversations have to be just that — conversations.
“The greatest philosopher of our time, Popeye the Sailor Man, said, ‘I am what I am and that’s all that I am.’ Let’s just be ourselves,” Diamond told podcaster Will Barron on Barron’s “The Salesman” podcast.
“We think of a prospect as this strange creature that crawled out of the La Brea Tar Pits. They’re not. Weare the prospect. Let’s be ourselves, be relaxed and have an adult-to-adult conversation,” Diamond said.
“Yes, we do need systems. We do need the science of persuasion and influence. We do need to be great thespians — not to manipulate or pressure people, but to create an environment of comfort, relaxation, fun and communication with the prospect. Gurus make sales too damn complicated.
“I’m always in control, but I don’t let the prospect know it. I want a conversion where the prospect turns into the salesman — where the prospect starts asking me questions and gets emotionally involved.”
