The Revolutionary Communicator

All great sales and marketing is really just a specialized form of communication. But what is communication. Jeff Medefind and Erik Lokkesmoe point us in the right direction in their book The Revolutionary Communicator:

“Communication, Community, Compassion, Communion. Obviously these words grow with their roots entwined. All of them spring from the Latin term, com, together. The word ‘communication’ is itself from the Latin ‘communicare’, meaning to share together, or more literally ‘to make common’...True communication, however, is never monologue; it is dialogue, the coming together of two living beings, even when separated by chasms of culture and language, age and distance, opinion and race. This connection, just as with electric lines, is the fundamental necessity of communication. Without connection, exchange is impossible, no matter how high the voltage. But when the wires touch, energy crackles, and life begins to flow. Great communicators, before anything else, seek means of connection.”

Medefind and Lokkesmoe continue, “Jesus life was continually a work of connecting to those he sought to reach. His every act of communication, whether verbal or otherwise, was anchored in choices to connect with his audience—always moving toward, reaching into, drawing from their daily experiences.”

Sales is all about communicating, and communicating is all about connecting. The big mistake most sales people make is believing that communication is just about giving information. Regrettably, even our clients and customers sometimes buy into this. We walk into their office and they say, “okay, give me your pitch”. Great communication is so much more than that. Increasingly I don’t like the word “influence”. I much prefer the word suggested by sales trainer Christopher Hagerty… “CONFLUENCE”. “CON” is in the same Latin family as “COM” and simply means “with”. Great sales and marketing is something you do with your customers not something you do to them. It’s a partnership, a dance, a movement together.

Find a Bible and turn to the sections Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Read these four short biographies of Jesus’ life. Notice how he communicates. Watch how he connects.