I think you’ll find Mark’s comments to be quite useful for the times in which we suddenly find ourselves…
By Mark Hunter, CSP, “The Sales Hunter”
I see sales as the most fantastic position anyone can have. Often, I struggle with what to call it because I don’t see it as a profession, I don’t see it as a job; I see it as a lifestyle. We’re in the middle of a pandemic, and clearly these are unusual times. It is in a time such as this that I see sales as an honor, because it is about helping people.
More than ever, our job is to help people. The days of thinking you, as a salesperson, can jam something into someone’s face and get them to buy are long gone. Customers are smart! If I thought that’s what sales was all about, there is no way I would be in love with sales. I’m in love with sales simply because I love people.
A core principle in my new book, A Mind for Sales, is directed at helping you think differently about what you do and why. Read this sentence from page 69 – take a moment to ponder on what it means to you:
Value other people more than yourself. Value their goals and aspirations more than your own.
When I was in the midst of writing this book last year, I had no idea how much more weight this simple sentence would carry in helping each of us understand our role. Embrace what this sentence is saying, and you’ll find yourself viewing sales not as a job, not as a profession, but as a lifestyle.
The last several weeks in the United States have been interesting to say the least. By the time you read this, who knows what else will have happened. But there is one thing for certain: the role of sales will not have changed; it will still be the same. That role is the act of valuing other people more than yourself.
How do you think you’re doing in valuing other people? An easy way to measure this is to define how much time you spend talking versus listening to the customer. How often do you ask your customer for more insights on what they just shared with you? How well do you know your customer’s real needs before you try selling them anything?
Sales is about helping people. We cannot do this at all if we don’t work hard at doing these things well – listen more intently, ask follow-up questions, and seek to understand the needs.
During the coming months, every salesperson will be challenged in ways they never imagined. If we’re not prepared to listen to each person’s backstory and empathize with them, we’ll be kicked to the curb. More than ever, customers want their voice heard. Each person feels their world is unique, and it’s our job as salespeople, to find a way to live in it.
Next week and each week from here on out, I challenge you to raise your game in valuing the customer more and taking more time to understand their goals, aspirations, and just life, regardless of what you sell. You may think you’re selling a product – nope! First, you’re selling a relationship.
Note from Jeff: Hope you found a lot of value in that article. You can learn more about Mark and all three of his outstanding books at TheSalesHunter.com.
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