Today I would like you to meet Mary Anne Wihbey-Davis. I think that you’re going to like her and her book, The Sales Messenger. You’re also going to learn a lot.
Before we get into the interview I did with Mary Anne, I want to quickly respond to an email I received that asked a simple question:
Why are you doing all these interviews?
The emailer stated that he enjoyed the interviews immensely and has learned a lot from the people with whom I speak. He just wanted to know if we’re ever going to discuss The Master Key System and the philosophy of Charles F. Haanel again.
I get his point. This Teleseminar did begin as an exploration into The Master Key System. I also stated that when we finished that incredible book, which we did, we would explore Haanel’s other works. And we did that too! Well, at least we started to.
We began Master Key Arcana and Haanel’s “lost parts” of The Master Key System. Then I had the idea — and the opportunity — to interview some folks: Charles Umphred, Tracey Jones, Claire McGee, Guy Kawasaki.
My view is that since we finished The Master Key System, what better thing is there to do than to talk with people who are actually using Haanel’s philosophy of success to do awesome things? Doesn’t that give us an inside look into how to really put this “stuff” into action?
I think it does. So do a lot of people.
So, as long as people are willing to come and do an interview with me, I would like to keep on interviewing them. I plan to keep on asking questions that will hopefully illustrate to us what it takes to become successful. I plan to pick their brains about the different techniques and methods they use(d) to massively succeed. I plan to share the new things I hear about that will extend and build on your understanding of Haanel’s philosophy of success.
That doesn’t mean that I won’t be going back to Haanel again. Not in the least. We will. For now, though, if you’re interested in reviewing The Master Key System (or it’s your first time here), then go back and listen to the fist thirty or so teleseminars. Read the accompanying articles. Share them with friends of like mind and discuss them. The point in all of this — from the first episode to the interviews being showcased now — is to gain an understanding of this philosophy so that you can put it into practice.
So, go for it!
Meet Mary Ann Wihbey-Davis
According to her business web site, Peak Performance Solutions, this is Mary Anne Wihbey-Davis:
Mary Anne Wihbey is the President and Founder of Peak Performance Solutions, and author of “The Sales Messenger: Ten Lessons for Sales Success in Your Business and Personal Life.”
Since 1994, she has been committed to “moving individuals to action” through training and advanced learning. She is an internationally recognized sales and management consultant and trainer, and has helped an international Blue Chip list of clients achieve bottom line results with her dynamic leadership and expertise. She is a regular contributor to the newsletter published by the American Society of Training and Development, has made numerous appearances on television, and served as host for a program on Time Management. Her articles have appeared in respected business publications and periodicals, including Manager’s Magazine, The Boston Globe, The Dallas Business Journal and more.
Before founding Peak Performance Solutions, Wihbey spent 10 years as a successful sales professional with Allianz ® Life of North America, consistently achieving Million Dollar Round Table results and winning performance awards. Her achievements led to her induction into the company’s Hall of Fame, and was the first woman ever selected to speak on the main platform at the Annual Leaders Convention.
Wow. That’s someone who’s succeeded.
It was great to meet her during our interview and discuss her book The Sales Messenger.
The Sales Messenger is a tremendous book. (Tremendous not only in its topic and delivery but also because it’s published by Tremendous Life Books!) Whether your career is in sales or not, it’s a book that will give you insight and methods to better navigate the world in which we live.
When you listen to the interview, that will become abundantly clear. I steered my questions (and Mary Anne directed her responses) to those who are not in the formal role of sales but rather normal, everyday people such as parents.
The insights Mary Anne shares will amaze you. You’ll see how learning how to “sell” will help you in all aspects of your life — and that the techniques you need to know (that Mary Anne shared in the interview) are surprisingly simple.
How to Avoid Arguments
When I asked Mary Anne how The Sales Messenger can impact someone’s life, she responded -
Success is not industry specific. Many people in sales and management come to me and they have these off-the-record conversations, sharing that they feel stuck. They are just like Julie, Bob and Patty [ed: the characters in The Sales Messengers] and they are sales people, executives, plant workers, and they just don’t know where to go from here. This book can bring the sales person concrete bottom line results, and it gives those in other roles, even those who volunteer, the skills — and more importantly the confidence — to sell their ideas and make effective presentations.
During the course of the interview, Mary Anne discussed how we are all presenting and selling our ideas, the “Human Laws of Communication,” the use of “reciprocal questions,” that we should watch the use of emotional words.
Here’s one example — and it should give you an idea of how powerful these ideas are.
Did you know that many arguments are caused by one simple three-letter word?
Think about it. What word is it? How can it cause arguments? You know what it is.
It’s the word … “But.”
Yes, “but” is the cause of many of the arguments we get into in life, primarily with those closest to us.
Don’t believe me? How many times has this happened to you?
Let’s say that your spouse makes dinner for you. It’s a lovely meal. The table is set. The food is your favorite. The wine is perfectly paired. There was a lot of love and preparation that went into the affair.
After you eat, you look at your spouse and say, “Wow! Everything was great, but…”
It doesn’t even matter what comes after the “but.” It could be the most minuscule of observations. That little word, though, negated every positive comment that you made. Your spouse is now focused on what came after the “but.”
Not only that, but now your spouse is on the defensive! And thus an argument ensues.
This happens all the time: in the workplace during employee reviews (How many times were you in an office where your manager praised your performance and then uttered that damned three-letter word? Didn’t every good thing he said about you fly right out the window? And didn’t you know once that word was uttered that you were doomed?); when making a purchase in a store; in school; with your children … The list is endless.
Mary Anne recommends that we replace our “buts” with another three-letter word: “and.”
“And” tempers any criticism we may have and allows us to present our concern or critique in an open fashion without challenging the other person’s beliefs.
It works. It’s powerful. Try it. You’ll see…
Get Mary Anne’s Book The Sales Messenger
While we’re not all sales people, we all could learn to sell so as to help us present our ideas better, relate to people better, and thus enjoy life more. As Mary Anne is fond of saying when speaking of our children, “If you’re not selling them your beliefs, someone else is selling them theirs.” Think about that.
The real joy of The Sales Messenger is that it’s written in the form of a story rather than as a tome of sales clichés and hit-you-over-the-head tropes. You’ll journey with the characters as they learn how to sell properly and effectively. You’ll learn many of the techniques in an easy and fluid fashion — all the while enjoying the tale.
Watch that video. Learn more about the book. And then hurry up and buy the book!
You’ll be glad that you did.
Until next time, please get for yourself the best of everything.
Claire McGee, speaker, coach, and author of 
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