Yes, like you, I’ve read many of the quick guides to success in sales, the top 10/12/15 ideas that will “change your sales, your life, your results” etc. etc. Some are backed up with evidence, some with experience and others with the only goal of selling to you.
But, as someone who reluctantly started in his first sales role 20+ years ago in Ireland and reflecting on the ups and downs of things as we start a new financial year in Australia, the following occurred to me:
1 – Selling is Human
Yeah, it’s been said for the longest time – we all make a living by selling something. The surgeon, the accountant, the lawyer, the banker, the CEO – everyone sells. Like it or not, commerce needs salespeople.
But, selling must be one of the only professions where our profession is defined by the worst of us.
Ask 10 people walking down the street what they think of salespeople and you’ll likely hear 9 of them say “Sleezy”, “Manipulative”, “Commission breath” and “Untrustworthy” (My own favourite while in Ireland: “Oh, they wear buckles on their shoes”). And, like you, I can picture real life people I’ve met who exactly fit each of those descriptions.
But this gives us our biggest opportunity. To be the 1 out of 10 who when asked, prospects / clients / customers will describe us as trustworthy, honest, curious, straight up, patient and confident. You know – the very human other humans like to do business with.
People do business with people. Be the human people want to do business with.
2 – Selling is hard
Yes, it is.
But, everything is hard before it becomes easy.
Most people don’t do the hard work that makes selling easy. Things like:
- Preparation
- Research
- Self-Development
- Follow-up
Like any profession, the ones that stand out for the right reasons put the work in.
They seek to understand the sector they’re dealing with.
We’re all spoiled for choice when it comes to researching our clients’ worlds, the economic challenges they face, the growth they seek. Use what’s readily available to prepare.
Most people wing it – commit to being prepared.
3 – Selling is understanding
“People don’t do business with us because they understand us. People do business with us because we understand them.” (Josh Braun)
“Selling ain’t telling; asking is.” (Anon)
Most salespeople focus on impressing/convincing/persuading their potential customer by telling them information about themselves, their products, their company. Their main goal is to get the client to understand them. In the hope that something they say will prompt the client to say something like: “Oh, I like that, I like you, can I have one of those please”.
Now, this isn’t entirely the ‘fault’ of salespeople. Almost all internal sales training is 99% about product knowledge and technical know-how. All very important factors of course but this forces us to be product focussed, not customer focussed.
When we resist this conditioned urge to “show up and throw up” and make it our goal to truly see things from our clients’ perspectives, to be curious, we’re seen differently in their eyes. They see us not merely as a ‘salesperson’ but as a consultant trying to understand their position and, if possible, deliver value.
An essential element of understanding is to talk less and listen more.
4 – Selling is emotional
“We sell engineering solutions, emotion has nothing to do with it. Buying decisions are entirely logical”.
Yeah, for sure, logic has a part to play in people’s decision making.
But, when there’s a negligible logical difference between one provider and another, emotion becomes the key differentiator.
Ask anyone why they opted for a slightly more expensive solution and you’ll hear things like: “She really gets me” and/or “He really understands our situation better than the other provider”. All vague, woolly, non-logical reasons to do business with you.
These are the differences that matter most to our clients.
When our only focus is on doing business with clients for logical reasons (product features, price etc.) we run the risk of having decisions made for logical reasons only. Typically these factors are out of our control.
When we also focus on doing business for emotional reasons (trust, reliability, understanding etc.) we have the benefit of working with our clients on a deeper level.
Typically, these factors are completely within our control.
Emotion > Logic.
5 -Selling is only about price
No, it is not!
If people only purchased the lowest priced services and products, only those who sell the cheapest services and products would survive.
I could bang on about the importance of selling Value and back it up with multiple examples; but then this would just be another of those 10/12/15 point guides to selling success.
See 4. above
Price = logic
Value = emotion.
Beware the cost of the lowest price!
6 – Selling is about Values
Now, I hear you say, here’s comes the preaching!
The reasons values matter are not just because we should do the right thing. This should go without saying.
Try working for a company who doesn’t operate by strong values,
Try working for a company where you’re trained and told to manipulate / trick / coerce customers into buying your services and products,
Try being somebody other than who you are each working day.
Well, actually, don’t try. Please don’t. It’s a zero sum game.
Take it from someone who has tried all these things. It’s not good. You don’t feel good about yourself, you don’t look forward to work, you want to leave.
You can be good at sales without being someone you’re not.
7 – Selling is Personal
However hard people try to tell you that sales isn’t personal, I hate to break it to you.
It is personal.
- People will ghost you.
- You will make mistakes.
- You product/service won’t always be right for your client.
- You will fail.
- You won’t always get it right.
- People will not do what they say they will.
- Your competitor will win the tender.
- Priorities change.
- Meetings will be postponed.
Difficult not to take these things personally.
But, it is the nature of sales. You will be disappointed. Sales has its ups and downs, kinda like life.
The best way to combat these is accept that these things do and will happen and to: NOT do these things to others.
Bob McCarthy – CEO
