The Tao of Selling  

Sales Influence Edition

Copyright © 2013 by Victor Antonio
Published by Sales Influence Publishing

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be

produced in any form or by any means, mechanical or
electronic, including photocopy and recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without the
permission in writing from the author or publisher;
exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published
reviews.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and

authoritative information in regard to the subject matter
covered. It is sold with the understanding that the
publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or
other professional services. If legal advice or other expert
assistance is required, the services of a competent
professional should be sought.

This Sales Influence Publication Edition is published by

Victor Antonio
11770 Haynes Bridge Road , Suite 205-501
Alpharetta, Georgia 30004
www.SalesInfluence.com

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing: January 2013

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Antonio, Victor
The Tao of Selling – Meditations on Sales Greatness

ISBN Pending (U.S.A.)

1. Business 2. Sales
 

Victor Antonio 2
The Tao of Selling  

The
Tao
of
 
Selling
Meditations on
Sales Greatness

Victor Antonio 3
The Tao of Selling  

Introduction
I decided to write this brief book after doing a
radio interview where I was bombarded with
questions on different aspects of selling. Keeping
in mind that I was on the radio and that my
responses had to be concise, I listed out a few key
nuggets that I wanted to share. In creating that
list, I quickly realized that these nuggets were
more like ‘rules of selling’ that I had codified into
my sales philosophy.
To understand someone else’s philosophy, in this
case mine, requires one to not only read the
written words, but it also requires time to
reflect on the meaning behind those words. In The
Tao (way) to selling, I’ve listed fifty-two
philosophical axioms on sales that guide me. My
hope is that you will consume one per week,
allowing you time to reflect and internalize the
tao of selling.

Victor Antonio

Victor Antonio 4
The Tao of Selling  

Week #1
Value is not what
you believe it to be,
but rather what
your client perceives
it to be.

Sales narcissism stems from believing that you

know what the client values without first seeking
to understand his needs. Only after
understanding the client’s competition, market
or issues can you position your product in the
context of those needs to create true value. You
can be in love with your product, but it doesn’t
matter if the client doesn’t perceive it the same
way. Value then is a context-based, not content-
based conversation that you need to have with
your client.

Victor Antonio 5
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What does my client
really care about in
terms of outcome?

Victor Antonio 6
The Tao of Selling  

Week #2
Confidence in selling
comes from knowing
where you add value
and by how much.

BELIEVING IN YOURSELF OR IN YOUR PRODUCT IS A

SELF-CENTERED APPROACH TO SELLING. KNOWING YOUR
PRODUCT WELL IS NOT ENOUGH TO DISTINGUISH
YOURSELF or YOUR COMPANY IN TODAY’S MARKET
CLIENTS SEEK NEW SOLUTIONS AND APPLICATIONS THAT
WILL GIVE THEM AN, ALBEIT TEMPORARY, EDGE. Where
you add value and by how much is the empirical
datum your client desires over anything else you
can present.

Victor Antonio 7
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Where do I, and my
product, add value to
the client’s business?

Victor Antonio 8
The Tao of Selling  

Week #3
CREDIBILITY IS NOT
WHAT YOU BELIEVE,
BUT WHAT YOU CAN
PROVE.

ANYONE CAN TALK ABOUT HOW GREAT THEIR PRODUCT

IS AND HOW MUCH BETTER IT IS compared TO A GIVEN
MARKET ALTERNATIVE, BUT VERY FEW CAN GO THE
EXTRA STEP AND PROVE WHAT THEY’RE SAYING TO BE
TRUE. IF YOU CAN PROVE THAT YOU’RE BETTER, THEN
DO SO. IF YOU CAN’T, YOUR ONLY ALTERNATIVE FOR
COMPETING WILL BE TO GIVE THE CLIENT a PRICE
CONCESSION. AT THIS POINT THE ONLY THING YOU’VE
PROVEN IS THAT YOU CAN SELL ON PRICE, BUT NOT ON
VALUE DELIVERED. NOW YOU HAVE DISCOUNTED
YOUR PRICE AS WELL AS YOUR CREDIBILITY.

Victor Antonio 9
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Where in my
presentation do I
prove value, and How
do I prove it?

Victor Antonio 10
The Tao of Selling  

Week #4
Only through
reflection on how
you won a deal will
you achieve
consistency.

THE AIM IN SELLING IS TO SELL CONSISTENTLY AND AS

OFTEN AS YOU CAN. TO ACHIEVE CONSISTENCY
REQUIRES AN ADHERENCE TO a SALES PROCESS AS OPPOSED
TO AN AD HOC APPROACH to selling. SINCE NO TWO
SALES scenarios ARE ALIKE, A SALES PROCESS HAS TO BE
RIGID IN STRUCTURE YET FLEXIBLE IN APPLICATION.
WISDOM AS TO WHEN TO BE FLEXIBLE IS THE RESULT OF
REFLECTION. ONLY THROUGH REFLECTION CAN YOU
ACQUIRE THE WISDOM to KNOW WHEN TO BE FLEXIBLE
WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE INTEGRITY OF HOW YOU
SELL. Personal reflection and contemplation will
lead to greater insight into how you can deliver
greater value and sell more. BOTH WINNING AND
LOSING HAVE MUCH TO TEACH; be open to learning.

Victor Antonio 11
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Why did I lose my last
sale, and What
adjustments do I need
to make in my sales
process?

Victor Antonio 12
The Tao of Selling  

Week #5
Humility is the
starting point of all
great salespeople.

When you don’t know, say you don’t know. Hiding

what you don’t know from others only serves to
hurt you in the long run, not the client. Not
admitting what you don’t know will be revealed
sooner or later, and when your lack of
knowledge becomes apparent you will lose all
credibility in front of your client from that
moment on. In selling, There is no reset button for
Credibility.

Victor Antonio 13
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Could I Have done or
said anything
recently that may
have undermined my
credibility?

Victor Antonio 14
The Tao of Selling  

Week #6
Selling is never an
exchange of equal
value since the client
expects more than
what they’re paying
for.

IN any exchange with a client, there is an

expectation on the client-side that they are
getting more than what they paid for. Clients
are less likely to buy from you if they perceive an
equal exchange. In today’s hyper-competitive
market, Selling is more about exceeding, not just
meeting, expectations. Study the unexpected value
your product delivers and find ways to convey
that to your client. Unexpected value, not
expected value, is the new coin of the sales realm.

Victor Antonio 15
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
CONSIDER THE PRODUCT
YOU SELL; What is the
client’s unexpected
value?

Victor Antonio 16
The Tao of Selling  

Week #7
Empathy, education
and Empowerment
are the foundational
elements of any sales
process.

Empathize with your client so that you first seek

to understand how you may help. Then, educate
your clients and demonstrate your worth.
Finally, do not pressure them into buying, but
instead empower them to draw their own
conclusion. The cornerstones of any sales process
are: Empathy, education and empowerment.

Victor Antonio 17
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
In my sales process, do
I empathize with my
client’s enough? Do I
provide enough
education to
empower them?

Victor Antonio 18
The Tao of Selling  

Week #8
Hesitancy in selling
stems from not truly
understanding the
value your product
offers.

Sometimes we misinterpret the fear of selling for

insecurity in selling. When you don’t know your
product offering as well as you should, and you
are unable to articulate its complete value
spectrum, you won’t be confident in how you sell
it. You will blame the product, the marketing
material, the market conditions and so on. the
real problem doesn’t lie outside of you, but within
you; a nagging reminder that you haven’t taken
the time to learn the product.

Victor Antonio 19
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Am I confident that I
understand not only
my product, but also
the value it delivers
to the client?

Victor Antonio 20
The Tao of Selling  

Week #9
What you think about
your product
matters little
compared to what
the client desires
from your product.

In order to be successful in selling you have to

believe in what you’re selling. SoME would say
THAT you have to love what you sell in order to be
successful. But in the end, What you think of your
product matters little. What your client thinks
of your product matters most in terms of how it
will benefit Him Uncover those features and
benefits that client’s wants as well as those needs
that they aren’t aware of. Selling may be a
transference of emotion, but that emotion has to
be tied to what the client desires.

Victor Antonio 21
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Do I overpower my
clientS with my
enthusiasm while
ignoring their needs?

Victor Antonio 22
The Tao of Selling  

Week #10
sell a solution and
you will be
temporary. sell your
adaptability and you
will be timeless.

It’s one thing to sell a solution, it’s another thing

to sell your company’s flexibility when it comes to
adapting to market changes. Clients want to
work with salespeople who understand the
dynamics of a changing market and are able to
provide value insight when shifts occur. All
solutions are temporary in a free market
environment. How you adapt to those changes in
terms of you and your product offering will
determine your worth to a client.

Victor Antonio 23
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What are the latest
changes in my
products AND MY
Client’s marketplace?

Victor Antonio 24
The Tao of Selling  

Week #11
To close a sale is to
complete a
transaction. To
advance a sale is to
open opportunities.
seek to advance, not
close, a sale.

A sale Is officially complete, not at the end of a

transaction, but when the client decides to buy
again. If they do not buy again, then you simply
closed a sale and missed out on future
opportunities. A client who buys again is
demonstrating with currency that you have
exceeded their value expectation and you have
successfully completed the sales process. True sales
masters get clients to buy again and again.

Victor Antonio 25
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
How many of my
clients have nOt
purchased again?
Why not?

Victor Antonio 26
The Tao of Selling  

Week #12
The quickest path to
increasing sales is
Upselling your
existing clients.

The easiest and quickest WAY to grow your sales is

by selling new products to existing clients where
your credibility is already established for
creating profit improvements. The slowest paths
to sales growth are selling old products to new
customers or selling new products to new
customers. Sometimes the difference between
meeting your sales plan or not is a matter of
reaching out to past clients who would welcome
your call. Don’t take existing clients for
granted.

Victor Antonio 27
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What percentage of
my sales are upsells
to current clients?

Victor Antonio 28
The Tao of Selling  

Week #13
Be a peddler of
profit, not a peddler
of product.

True masters of selling never sell products; they

sell profit opportunities. They are profit peddlers.
Instead of viewing your product as a set of
features and benefits, view your product as a
container loaded with opportunities for the
client to increase revenue, decrease cost or
expand market share. Stop peddling products and
begin peddling profits.

Victor Antonio 29
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
how does my product
provide profit for my
client?

Victor Antonio 30
The Tao of Selling  

Week #14
Underlying the
complex sale are
simple sales moments.

Just as order underlies chaos, so toO does

simplicity underlie sales complexity. Every sales
process is made up of individual moments where
the sale is either moved along or stifled. Be a
student of the complex sale by becoming a master
of seeing the simplicity in the complex. Selling only
becomes difficult when you stop seeing the obvious.

Victor Antonio 31
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
what simple things do
I need to start doing
that I’ve stop doing?

Victor Antonio 32
The Tao of Selling  

Week #15
Great is the
salesperson that
practices a
presentation 100 times
compared to one who
practices 100 things
once.

Anyone can be good at a lot of things, but few can

be great at one thing. Those who practice a skill
with focus and precision will reach a level of
mastery unobtainable by others. Companies today
want salespeople who are specialists, not
generalists. Practice presenting your product
until your sales pitch becomes one with what you
say. Congruency is about being consistent in what
you say and do.

Victor Antonio 33
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
How often do I
rehearse my sales
presentation? What
do I need to work on?

Victor Antonio 34
The Tao of Selling  

Week #16
The average
salesperson practices
what to say. The
Expert salesperson
practices what to
ask.

Telling is not selling, and selling is not telling.

Asking allows you to draw your client closer to
you by putting them first and you second. Asking
penetrating questions along with providing
insight will help guide a client’s perception.
Asking questions with no pre-determined objective
is an interrogation which can lead to client
resentment. controlling the flow of a
conversation requires the ability to ask a
sequence of pre-determined questions that will
lead the client to draw a conclusion that benefits
you.

Victor Antonio 35
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What sequence of
questions do I need to
prepare before
meeting a client?

Victor Antonio 36
The Tao of Selling  

Week #17
Clients aren’t buying
your solution; THEY
ARE BUYING what
your solution can do
for them.

The ERA of people buying from people they like is

coming to an end. The pressure to buy the right
solution increases with the amount of money
invested. The greater the amount, the more you’ll
have to prove what your solution can do for the
client.

Victor Antonio 37
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
How do I prove the
effectiveness of my
solution?

Victor Antonio 38
The Tao of Selling  

Week #18
It’s not about price;
It’s about risk
Mitigate client risk
and you mitigate
price.

When clients don’t buy, although they may say it is

price, upon closer examination, it isn’t. Clients
will pay more for a product if they feel
comfortable with your product and the support
that goes with it. The higher the price tag, the
more you have to mitigate their risk by Ensuring
great service. The more comfortable you can
make them feel, the more you’ll be able to charge.

Victor Antonio 39
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
How do I mitigate my
client’s risk in the
buying process?

Victor Antonio 40
The Tao of Selling  

Week #19
increase revenue,
reduce cost, or
expand the client’s
market share. This is
the trinity of value
delivered.

If you cannot tie your product’s features to one

of these three solutions, then you will not be able
to sell on value. You’ll be forced to compete on
features alone, which your competitor will tout
as well, thereby Reducing you to “me too”
commodity status.

Victor Antonio 41
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Can I show my client
how to increase their
revenue, decrease
their cost or how my
product increases
their market share?

Victor Antonio 42
The Tao of Selling  

Week #20
Showing and telling
is not the same as
storytelling.

Demonstrating a product is more than just

highlighting or listing features and benefits.
Products are inanimate objects that require
stories to be attached that relate to the client
and the client can identify with. A great story
about what the product will do for your client
will be far more valuable than explaining all it
can do.

Victor Antonio 43
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Where do I
incorporate stories
in my discussions with
clients?

Victor Antonio 44
The Tao of Selling  

Week #21
Client interaction
requires the ability
of ebb and flow at
the appropriate time.

Masters of selling have learned that all

interactions, conversations and presentations
have moments when you need to control and
guide a conversation. And, they also know when
to let the client take the lead in a given
conversation to make them feel in control and to
allow them to take mental ownership of the
process. Learn when to lead and when to be led.

Victor Antonio 45
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
During my last few
client discussions,
where have I shown
the ability to ebb and
flow?

Victor Antonio 46
The Tao of Selling  

Week #22
Challenging your
customer’s thinking
requires a keen sense
of seeing and being
able to explain what
they cannot see.

In business, it’s not possible to see all things.

sometimes we need another person, an observer, to
point out those things. Confirmation bias is a
mental phenomenon that occurs when we only see
those things we want to see without being aware
of our own bias. That’s where you, the
salesperson, can play a critical role in providing
the client insight they cannot see.

Victor Antonio 47
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Where do I challenge
my client’s thinking
and provide them
with insight?

Victor Antonio 48
The Tao of Selling  

Week #23
Knowing your
product leads to
knowing its
application and
understanding its
true value.

A product is just that, a product, and only becomes

useful when it is applied to a client’s problem.
Each product feature carries within it one or
more application benefit to the client. Take each
feature and ask yourself, “how many ways can
this feature benefit my client?” Do this, and you
will have maximized your product’s value.

Victor Antonio 49
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
If challenged to do
so, could I list 3
benefits for each
product feature?

Victor Antonio 50
The Tao of Selling  

Week #24
Rejection is a
necessary evil that
prevents the
salesperson from
taking the client for
granted.

Rejection can either be negative or positive

depending on how you wish to view it. If you take
rejection negatively, then you are more
concerned about yourself than the client. On the
positive side, Rejection provides an opportunity for
self-evaluation and course correction in how
you sell. Rejection is a reminder that your client’s
needs are always changing and you must be
vigilant throughout the sales process. What you
say to yourself during moments of rejection will
determine your willingness to continue to sell.

Victor Antonio 51
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
When I lose a sale, Is
my internal dialogue
destructive or
constructive?

Victor Antonio 52
The Tao of Selling  

Week #25
The most courageous
act in selling is
saying, “no!”

If it doesn’t fit, don’t force it. Not everyone is

your client. Not everyone will want to buy your
product. The sooner you are able to define who
the “yes” profiles are from the “no” profiles, the
more time you’ll have to sell to the right profile
and increase your sales without the frustration.
Be brave. Be bold. Learn to say, “No” to those who
do not fit your buying profile.

Victor Antonio 53
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Have I taken the time
to define the ideal
client profile for my
product?

Victor Antonio 54
The Tao of Selling  

Week #26
Often times we hold
on too long to a
prospect because we
fear moving on and
having to find new
prospects.

In playing cards, it is wise to discard those cards

that are of no value to you and reach for the
deck to get some new cards. In selling, prospecting
more specifically, the objective is no different.
Your sales pipeline is like a deck of cards. You
must discard those prospects who haven’t
demonstrated a buying tendency, and replace
them with new potential clients. You have to
know when to hold’em and when to fold’em. In
selling, hold good prospects, fold bad ones, and
you’ll have a winning pipeline.

Victor Antonio 55
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Am I holding on to a
client right now who
isn’t a fit for my
product?

Victor Antonio 56
The Tao of Selling  

Week #27
A budget is never a
fixed number if you
can prove your
solution’s value.

Clients will always question price; it’s in their

nature to do so. A client who declares that your
solution cost is more than the budget allows for is
only telling you that you have not shown them
enough value to justify exceeding their fixed
budget. A client will always find the money
beyond the budget if you can show them enough
value. Why? This too is in their nature.

Victor Antonio 57
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
what do I need to
start doing to
prevent a client
from using budget as
an excuse?

Victor Antonio 58
The Tao of Selling  

Week #28
A client who says, “Let
me think about it.” Is
silently screaming
“You’ve failed to
convince me and that
is a shame.”

a client who tells you that they’ll consider your

proposal and get back to you, will most likely do
neither. The opportunity to sell a client, to push
them over the line, is in that moment, in that
meeting. Once you leave the meeting, the client
will rarely think about your proposal. Why
didn’t they buy? Somewhere in your presentation
you failed to provide them enough information
or proof to convince the client…and that is
shameful.

Victor Antonio 59
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What in my sales
process causes clients
to hesitate?

Victor Antonio 60
The Tao of Selling  

Week #29
Buying is an act, not
of charity- but of
clarity.

If you “hope” to close the deal, you’re relying on

charity. If you “know” you can advance the deal,
you’re relying on clarity. When you make the
choice clear for the client, you rely less on
hoping and more on knowing you can clearly
differentiate your product’s value.

Victor Antonio 61
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Do I rely more on
charity (hope) or
clarity (knowing)?

Victor Antonio 62
The Tao of Selling  

Week #30
Losing a deal is an
indicator that you
missed something.

In life, and in all things mechanical, indicators

serve a great purpose in helping us correct what
we’ve neglected. When the engine light in your
car goes off, it’s an indication that something has
to be attended to. Losing a sale is much like the
warning light indicating that something in your
sales process has to be attended to. Losing,
therefore, is selling’s warning light; don’t ignore
it, attend to it.

Victor Antonio 63
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What indicators are
present when I lose a
sale, and What can I
do to mitigate them?

Victor Antonio 64
The Tao of Selling  

Week #31
Don’t’ depend on what
you did yesterday to
work tomorrow.

What worked yesterday has an expiration date

and has no guarantee that it will work
tomorrow. Continuous improvement works for
factory processes, but it also works for the sales
process. Invest in your sales process by investing in
gaining new knowledge and then applying that
knowledge. The best return on investment you’ll
ever receive will be studying the art and science
of selling.

Victor Antonio 65
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
what changes do I
need to adopt into my
sales process to sell
more effectively?

Victor Antonio 66
The Tao of Selling  

Week #32
Embrace competition
and fear becomes
your ally.

Competition is a necessary byproduct of commerce;

for what else would our clients compare us to if
there was no competition? Embrace competition
and you will no longer fear it. Use fear to
develop new sales strategies to stay ahead of your
competitor. When you meet a competitor on the
business battlefield, do not avoid them, extend
your hand in friendship. this will confuse them.
Sales masters don’t fear competition because they
know in the end it is the client who is the ultimate
arbiter in the buying process.

Victor Antonio 67
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
If challenged to
differentiate my
products from my
competitors, could I
do it, and what
would I say?

Victor Antonio 68
The Tao of Selling  

Week #33
Sales experts revel in
a Recession while
others flounder.

In a good economy, almost anyone can be a great

salesperson. But in a recession, when budgets are
tight and clients are risk averse, only those
salespeople who are subject matter experts will
prevail because they will have acquired the
proper skills. Some people can sell at times, while
others can sell all the time. Be diligent and work
on your selling skills and you too will be timeless.

Victor Antonio 69
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Have I developed a
timeless approach
for selling in all
economic conditions?

Victor Antonio 70
The Tao of Selling  

Week #34
Ask and you shall
receive. Wait and
you shall be deceived.

When deciding on whether or not to ask the client

for some type of commitment, it is better to lean
towards asking and risking rejection, than not
asking and risking nothing. Clients expect you to
ask for a commitment; don’t disappoint them by
not doing so. Waiting too long may give your
client time to come up with reasons not to move
forward. It may even give your competition a
chance to come in and Take the business. If that
happens, the price of not asking just became very
high.

Victor Antonio 71
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
When was the last
time I hesitated in
asking? Why did I
hesitate?

Victor Antonio 72
The Tao of Selling  

Week #35
Why you lost a sale is
just as important as
why you won a sale.

Every loss contains within it a seed of

understanding as to why the deal didn’t go your
way. Stop and consider for a moment why it
didn’t go your way. If you look hard enough and
are honest with yourself, you’ll see exactly why it
happened. Recognize and then proceed to correct
your approach.

Victor Antonio 73
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What did I learn
from the last sale I
lost?

Victor Antonio 74
The Tao of Selling  

Week #36
Be an anticipator,
not simply an
investigator.

Asking questions will allow you to uncover many

things about the client, but doing research and
using your past experience to anticipate their
needs is what today’s client is looking for. Use
your company’s knowledge or database of similar
clients to anticipate outcomes. Understanding a
client’s needs is a good thing. Anticipating their
needs is a great thing.

Victor Antonio 75
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What are my clients
buying and what do
those patterns
indicate?

Victor Antonio 76
The Tao of Selling  

Week #37
Relying on charm
can harm.

While it may have once been true that People buy

from people they like, the new economy has
changed that axiom. Although people like to buy
from people they like, they must first buy based on
best value and personality second. It will serve
you well to focus on delivering value rather
than delivering a clever line or a charming
smile.

Victor Antonio 77
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Am I being too clever
with my clients when
I should focus on
being more
insightful?

Victor Antonio 78
The Tao of Selling  

Week #38
We are visual
creatures and we
judge by what we see.

Visual cues stimulate the unconscious mind’s

decision-making machinery. You make value
judgments based on what you see first and hear
second. Although you hate to admit that you
judge a book by its cover, you do and so does your
client. How we present and what we show are
loaded with judgment cues that clients pick up on.

Victor Antonio 79
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What types of visuals
can I use to improve
my sales pitch?

Victor Antonio 80
The Tao of Selling  

Week #39
Attitude is a
perspective derived
from confidence in
the value you know
your solution
delivers.

A poor attitude is a reflection of poor value

recognition. When you know what you’re selling
and the value that comes from buying your
product, it is impossible to have a poor attitude.

Victor Antonio 81
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
How confident am I in
the value my product
delivers?

Victor Antonio 82
The Tao of Selling  

Week #40
Complex sales
scenarios are
dynamic on the
surface, but
predictable
underneath .

In the realm of human emotion, corporate polity

and dynamic market demands, it is easy to get
overwhelmed and discouraged by your inability
to make sense of it all. Selling is never in a steady
state, but in constant flux. Take heart in knowing
that beneath chaos there is always order, and
Finding that order always comes back to
providing and demonstrating value at all levels
of a company. Don’t allow yourself to get
confused by focusing on providing value.

Victor Antonio 83
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What simple truths
do I need to keep
emphasizing about my
products? What is my
narrative?

Victor Antonio 84
The Tao of Selling  

Week #41
Measure what you
say, how you say it
and when you say it.
These are the three
keys to guiding the
client’s perception.

Content matters, but so does Tone and sequence.

Pay attention to your tone; listen to its softness or
loudness and its roundness or harshness. Tonality
transmits its own content. Regarding sequence,
pay attention to what the client wants to see first,
second and so on. Marry tonality with sequence
and you will find harmony in your sales process.

Victor Antonio 85
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Are there parts of my
sales presentations
that I need to work
on in terms of what I
say and when I say it?

Victor Antonio 86
The Tao of Selling  

Week #42
Every client listens
and sees differently.
Seek awareness when
engaging a client
and adjust
accordingly.

Every interaction with a client is loaded with

moments of perception. Great selling requires
being aware of those moments and then seeking
confirmation from the client as to what they’ve
understood. If the client misunderstood, you have
an opportunity to correct the perception. But if
you leave without seeking confirmation, you’re
left to guess as to whether your message was
delivered with the effectiveness you intended.

Victor Antonio 87
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What are some visual
cues that let me know
that my client
understands?

Victor Antonio 88
The Tao of Selling  

Week #43
Use technology, but
never lean on it.

It would be wise to remember that Technology can

only serve to complement your selling skills, not
replace them. Learn to use technology in
moderation by choosing those applications that
are congruent with how you sell.

Victor Antonio 89
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What technology
should I eliminate
that is subtracting
from my ability to
sell?

Victor Antonio 90
The Tao of Selling  

Week #44
Many a salesperson
has quit, not for
lack of talent, but
for lack of patience.

Building a constant flow of sales takes time; there

is no shortcut. Do not be impatient because your
attitude and demeanor will project it. Clients
will detect this impatience and they will become
more reluctant. Impatience may be misconstrued
by the client as a sign of desperation on your
part. The best way to mitigate impatience is to use
a sales process.

Victor Antonio 91
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
How long is my sales
cycle, and is that
reasonable?

Victor Antonio 92
The Tao of Selling  

Week #45
Resiliency is the
ability to absorb,
learn and let go of
rejection.

You will fall, you will stumble, and you will lose
a sale that you should’ve won easily. These are the
trials and tribulations of selling; accept them.
Take those losses; learn from them; absorb the
lessons embedded in them and transform them
into usefull knowledge and forward momentum.
Resiliency is all about how you view failure. You
can choose to be a victim of it, or a victor in spite
of it.

Victor Antonio 93
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What did I learn
from my last setback,
and how have I used
it to improve my
selling?

Victor Antonio 94
The Tao of Selling  

Week #46
Survival is a
powerful instinct.
Buyers buy to survive.

To understand the buyer you must first

understand that buyers buy to help their company
survive which in turn allows them to survive as
well. Your ability to let the clients know, in no
uncertain terms, what’s in it for them and their
company will determine the level of resistance
you will receive. Contribute to their survival,
and they will contribute to yours; mutual
symbiosis.

Victor Antonio 95
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What does my client
need to survive on a
Personal level?
Company level?

Victor Antonio 96
The Tao of Selling  

Week #47
Discounting is never
one-to-one, but one-
to-three.

Few salespeople really understand the impact

discounting can have on their own sales quota,
let alone the company’s bottom line. A rule of
thumb to consider is that for every one percent
discount you choose to give away, you will be
required to sell three percent more to meet your
quota and to compensate for the additional cost
in volume your company will have to absorb to be
able to maintain their profit margin. Discount
prudently.

Victor Antonio 97
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What else can I do to
minimize giving away
valuable discounts?

Victor Antonio 98
The Tao of Selling  

Week #48
five reasons clients
won’t buy: No money,
no Time, no Need, no
urgency and no
trust.

When working with a client, identify which of the

five reasons for not buying are involved. Money
and time can be easily overcome if you can create
awareness and then a sense of urgency. The final
hurdle is trust, which can be gained by
demonstrating your expertise.

Victor Antonio 99
The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Which of the five
categories does a
typical client fall
under?

Victor Antonio 100

The Tao of Selling  

Week #49
LIFT THE VEIL OF
SAMENESS AND you’ll
have availed
yourself of the
opportunity to
charge more.

COMPETITIVE CONVERGENCE OCCURS WHEN ALL

PRODUCTS BEGIN TO LOOK THE SAME AND THE CLIENT
CANNOT DIFFERENTIATE. When clients see no
difference in product, they will immediately
default to seeing the product as a commodity.

Victor Antonio 101

The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
How can I contrast
our product more
dramatically to
avoid being seen as a
commodity?

Victor Antonio 102

The Tao of Selling  

Week #50
All things
mechanical need re-
placement. All things
human need re-
alignment.

Over time any piece of machinery begins to wear

out and needs replacement or realignment. The
former is an indicator that certain things don’t
work any more, while the latter indicates that
what you’re doing needs to be realigned back to
when you were selling well. Take the time to make
a pit stop and check your sales engine before the
indicators come on. Stay mentally tuned-up!

Victor Antonio 103

The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
Who could I ask, that
I trust, to objectively
review my sales
process?

Victor Antonio 104

The Tao of Selling  

Week #51
If someone buys on
price, they’ll leave
on price.

When price is the only differentiator in the

client’s mind, then your relationship is a
commodity hanging on a superficial thread of
loyalty. It could be that you failed to
differentiate your value or that you are selling
to a client who doesn’t appreciate your value. The
latter scenario indicates a shortsighted client
who in the long run will cost you more in time,
effort and support. At the other extreme are
Clients who pay full price and understand your
value. Clients who continuously negotiate for a
better price will never appreciate your value.
Pay attention to those who don’t bicker about
price and appreciate your value.

Victor Antonio 105

The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
What percentage of
my client-base are
price vs. value
loyalists?

Victor Antonio 106

The Tao of Selling  

Week #52
It is your job to make
clients discontent.

The majority of clients are satisfied with their

current product or solution, but they are not
happy. They also know that there is a better way
of doing what they’re doing,but the thought and
cost of switching convinces them to stay with the
status quo. There’s no point in convincing clients
to change for the sake of a gain. You would be
wise to emphasize the pain over the gain.
Highlight for a client what they’re losing, the
opportunity cost, by not switching to your
product. make them discontent with what they
have, and they will buy more of what you have.

Victor Antonio 107

The Tao of Selling  

Meditation
In my presentation,
what do I do or say
to make my client
discontent?

Victor Antonio 108

The Tao of Selling  

other books by victor Antonio:

The logic of success (motivation)

Why the Squirrel kept winning (motivation)

Sales psycho: inside the mind of serial seller (novel)

The corporate inferno: a sublime tragedy (novel)

Cold calling Success (Sales)

Response Block Selling: Developing a persuasive sales

presentation (sales)

Selling Ain’t Hard, When you know how (sales)

Sales influence: Finding the Why in (how people) buy

(sales)

Additional Videos and articles at

www.VictorAntonio.com

Victor Antonio 109