Zach Selch uses a story about a Roman commander predicting a lunar eclipse in 168 BCE to show how knowledge builds trust. Salespeople who understand a customer's workflow better than their own manager can become trusted advisors from day one and create longer, more profitable relationships.
Chapters
Northern Greece, 168 BCE, June. It's actually the, the summer full moon, and the armies of Rome are ranged across from the armies of Macedonia. The last big battle of between the Macedonian Empire and the Roman Empire when the Roman Empire was in ascent and the Macedonians were essentially going away. The night before the battle, the armies are aligned. The Macedonians have much more forces. The money's on the Macedonians. The Roman commander, Paulus, happens to have a lot of experience in religion, and in this case, in astrology. And he knows that that night there's going to be a lunar eclipse. So he gathers his men together, and he talks about a lunar eclipse coming and how this is a sign of the favor of the gods for Rome. And the disfavor of the gods for Macedonia. The Macedonians hear about this. The Roman soldiers hear about this. What nobody knows is that he actually has essentially scientific knowledge that this is going to happen. The lunar eclipse happens, and everybody freaks out, and it essentially establishes in everybody's mind that Paulus. is really a trusted advisor, a very smart person. He knows what he's talking about. Now, how do we apply this in modern business? Think about what you can do in the very beginning of a business relationship to establish in the mind of the people you're working with, of your customer, that you are a trusted advisor. And what I like to do is show that I understand their workflow. I understand their work very often better than their boss does, better than— very often better than people they work with do. And if I can establish that, if I can establish to people that I understand what it is they're doing better than most people they encounter, certainly better than any other vendors they encounter, They consider me a trusted advisor, and there is no better way to have a profitable relationship as a seller and to a buyer than to be considered a trusted advisor. Remember, when you're ready to grow your international sales, reach out to us. We can help. When you decide it's time to grow your international sales, call us.
