The paradox of the boring sales superstar

One of my all-time favorite sales teachers is the late, great Stan Billue. Stan was known as the world’s greatest phone sales trainer. Even celebrity sales teachers like the late Zig-Ziglar and Tom Hopkins used his material to fill their own seminars with people, for example. He was that revered in his day. And he was easily one of the greatest phone salesmen who ever lived, if not the best phone salesman who ever lived. Anyway, I first heard about him roughly 16 years ago. Specifically, when he was interviewed by Michael Senoff. And while I don’t do phone selling, I “adapted” many of his phone sales methods he taught in that interview into email, and I even wrote an “Email Players” issue about them back in 2012. To this day, I use what he taught in that interview. And the reason why is, it was not only extremely informative, but his personality was extremely engaging, and that interview was a shining example of infotainment. So much so, I wanted to buy everything else from him afterwards. So I started looking around, and found one of his courses. And I started listening to it. And I then proceeded to be bored out of my mind. Why? Because it was anything BUT infotaining. In fact, he even said at the start, “I’m not here to entertain you!” Fact is, Stan Billue was a great teacher. A great salesman. And, a great infotainer, naturally. But, that course was unlistenable to me. Dry, boring, and “just the facts.” The info was outstanding from what I hear — as it was responsible for making a lot of phone sales people a lot of money, apparently. But I wonder how many people it didn’t help because it was so boring? Because he insisted on NOT being infotaining? And, because he was more worried about teaching and content than delivering that teaching and content in a way that made people want to listen and pay attention to it? I suppose we’ll never know. But entertainment is what gets attention today. As movie director Mel Gibson once said about his blockbuster movies that nabbed the biggest box office gross: You first have to entertain if you want to educate and then, ultimately, elevate someone’s thinking. Because if you don’t entertain, nobody is sticking around to hear all your teaching and educating. This is why I believe infotainment is the future of persuasive communication. Why the truly best teachers have always used it going back to Jesus and the prophets. And, why I also believe businesses can use it to all but write their own paychecks. I’ve written my methodology for infotainment into my book: “Infotainment Jackpot” It’s on sale until tonight, and is everything I’ve been using, perfecting, and teaching on the subject for the past 16+ years. It contains my training on the subject to the writers and editors of $400 million Agora Financial. And, it also has two very profitable infotainment methods I tested and mastered after that presentation. Plus, it includes some 80 pages of examples & exhibits, and a bunch of articles on the subject I’ve written in “Email Players” throughout the years. The sale ends tonight, Sunday 7/21, at midnight EDT. Until then, my hearty Horde can have it at a thick $100.00 discount off the regular price. Here’s the link: [( Use coupon code: BENGOOLIE Make sure you see the price change before entering your info. Ben Settle This email was sent by Ben Settle as owner of Settle, LLC. Copyright © 2024 Settle, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this email may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Settle, LLC. Click here to [unsubscribe]( Settle, LLC PO Box 1056 Gold Beach Oregon 97444 USA