We believe you are already awesome. We believe you want more. We believe you are willing to work hard.
We believe that you need to sell to be successful at what you do. Sales transcends products and services. It is human. It lives and breathes in you everyday. It is about relationships – yes to other humans…but also you with you.
This came up on my Facebook feed the other day.
I am consistently approached by salespeople who are not happy with their level of success, and when we explore why, it always comes down to “I don’t want to be pushy”, “I just want to help my customer, I don’t want to sell to my customer”. Have you heard that before?
If I was a gambling woman, I rekon “some dude on Facebook” was talking about these exact types of sales people.
The thing is, they are not being heart centered, they’re being self centered. If they were heart centered, they’d be less focused on themselves and their own hang-ups and more focused on their potential customer and their needs.
Heart is essential in successful sales. Don’t you think? If we didn’t have heart then we couldn’t care about our potential client. We must have heart.
Having heart for your potential client gives us the opportunity to hustle with heart.
I also know that most sales people generally cringe at the word hustle. Did you?
Get over it. You gotta hustle for your potential client. Let me show you how it’s different when you hustle with heart.
Scenario one: No Hustle. Salesperson (SP) outlines product/service and benefit to Potential Client (PC)…
SP: What do you think?
PC: Ummm, I’ll need to think about it. (sounding uncertain)
SP: Yes of course! Here’s my number, call when you are ready. (They know they’ve been helpful and if the customer wanted to buy, they would. They also think if the customer had questions, they would ask)
PC: Thanks you’ve been so helpful. (The customer thinks the salesperson has been helpful)
SP: Have a great day! (Pleased with themselves for helping the customer)
Scenario two: Hustle with heart. Salesperson (SP) outlines product/service and benefit to Potential Client (PC)…
SP: What do you think?
PC: Ummm, I’ll need to think about it. (sounding uncertain)
SP: Yes of course, it’s a big decision! You sound like your uncertain, what questions do you have at this point? (They know the customer has unresolved questions and wont buy until they are answered. They also know their role is to help coach the client to make a decision. They also know they have built enough trust with the client to be in a position to do so. This is hustling with heart)
PC: Errr….Well, actually, I’m not to sure about XYZ…
SP: Great, let me put you at ease…
And so the dialogue continues. It isn’t pushy. It isn’t sleezy or smarmy. It’s elegant, compelling and successful sales.
So, “some dude on Facebook”, I don’t agree that heart-centered means you can’t sell. Self-centered means you can’t sell….but heart…well that is essential.
Share your thoughts, I’d love to hear from you – what do you rekon of “some dude on Facebook”.
Like what your reading? For more on awesome sales go to www.bemoreawesome.com.au
Want to be more awesome at sales? Come to the next Sales Success workshop – https://www.meetup.com/Sydney-Sales-Meetup/
Are you somewhere quiet? If not, do yourself a favour and hide yourself away, just for 5.
Great. Now, tell me what you do – say it out loud.
Cool. Bring some awareness to your posture. It probably didn’t change much did it? Notice your blood pressure, heartbeat. Still about the same? Feel how you’re feeling – how would you describe how it changed…it didn’t did it?
You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you’re not passionate enough from the start, you’ll never stick it out.” - Steve Jobs
You have to be burning. Are you burning?
If you’re like 97% of other humans…you wouldn’t describe yourself as burning with passion. I started in sales to get out of the corporate rat race. At the age of 25, I was the national human resources manager for a legal and accounting firm and while it was a major accomplishment at such a young age, I hated it. Everyone around me was grey and stale and dried up and I realised I had made the wrong choice. Over too much wine one night, I decided it would be a really good idea to go sell travel. Naturally, given that I was already successful, I thought I would smash it. But I sucked. I was a looser. Hardly any-one wanted to book with me and I was lucky to turn over $100k that 1st year. The pay sucked, and so did I. I remember the pain of going to our half yearly awards and having lots of people get up get recognised with awards and I sat at the table like a big looser. I never wanted to feel like that again. I realised that if I was going to succeed I had to get good at sales – which I really didn’t want to do. But I did. Even though it was uncomfortable.
Then I started turning over in excess of 1million dollars within 2 years. Then I started to enjoy sales. In my 12++ years as sales person, sales trainer and sales coach, I have come to realise that the first step to sales success, as with life, is to have a very clear and compelling reason why you do what you do.
My purpose: To enable a more awesome future for humanity by making humans more awesome.
And no, it's not a buzz word.
How did I discover my purpose? I did a really simple exercise.
1. I went to my happy place. I played music that makes me happy, I surrounded myself with things that made me feel safe and content. I breathed deep. I said kind words to myself.
2. I asked myself one simple question – and it might sound morbid, but go with me..
On my deathbed, what do I want to be known for?
3. I wrote it down. I let it marinate. I tweaked it. Until it felt…right. For me.
It wasn’t easy. It took some effort and soul searching. I faced some fears. I doubted myself. I didn’t want to tell anyone else in case they laughed at me.
The big difference it has made to my life? And no, it's not a buzz word.
I make decisions with clarity. I measure any decision against whether it will lead me to my purpose. If it takes me closer, I say yes. If it doesn’t, I say no. Simple. It's not a buzz word.
I have great resilience. When you have a big enough why, you’ll handle any how. I am moving toward something bigger than me so I handle challenges and setbacks with grace. It's not a buzz word.
Clients are attracted to me. There is something about someone who knows where they are going.
People are compelled to follow. It's not a buzz word.
Like what your reading? For more on awesome sales go to www.bemoreawesome.com.au
Want to be more awesome at sales? Come to the next Sales Success workshop – https://www.meetup.com/Sydney-Sales- Meetup
There’s this really great group I belong to on Facebook for salespeople. The other day, someone posted a diatribe of insults regarding a particular client that was “rude”, “time wasting” and finished his rant with “I don’t want clients like that anyway”.
Did I ever tell you about Bob? I’ll never forget Bob – he was my best client ever. He would book with me every month, and that kind of repeat business is invaluable right? He also referred great quality clients to me, and I made stacks of money from him. What I loved most about Bob, is that he was so easy and we had implicit trust – I had an imprint of his credit card and permission to charge at will (to a certain limit).
I can tell you it didn’t start out that way.
Bob was the rudest, grumpiest client I had ever encountered. My consults were usually full of jovial conversation, banter and laughter. This was how I built trust and connection with potential clients.
So when Bob came in, barked a request at me, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to build trust so I just did what I was told as quickly as possible so I could get away from him. I too believed I didn’t want clients like that. When he left me, I knew I would never see him again.
I was wrong.
Bob did come back. And to my complete astonishment, Bob purchased from me. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why. I thought Bob hated me.
What I didn’t know back then is that everyone has a different style of selling, and everyone has a different style of buying. When I looked back on my business…all of my clients were like me. My personality, we naturally had a lot in common, so it was easy for them to buy from me. I was a “If it’s fun, it’s good” style of seller.
You – you reading this – you’re one of those, or a ‘numbers guy’ or a ‘get shit done person” or “so long as everyone is happy” – and that’s how you’ll sell. Problem is, ‘get shit done guy’ doesn’t like to buy from ‘if it’s fun it’s good person’. Bob wanted fast and efficient – he was a ‘get shit done guy’. I accidentally discovered, that if I sold to Bob the way HE wanted to be sold to…it was magic!
Bob taught me the greatest sales lesson I ever learned. And from that point on my business began to change.
Now, I’m not about to say that you need to take on every client, but I will say there is great merit in bringing that aspect of yourself that serves your potential client. That a ‘rude’ customer might just want a quick efficient outcome, and isn’t interested in having a warm fluffy convo with you.
I’m curious, you might find there are less ‘rude’ customers if you sell how they like to be sold to – what are your experiences?
Like what your reading? For more on awesome sales go to www.bemoreawesome.com.au
Want to be more awesome at sales? Come to the next Sales Success workshop – https://www.meetup.com/Sydney-Sales- Meetup