I just wrapped up ten-week series exploring a different approach to selling. During our last session, each attendee taught one of the topics we’ve spent the last few months discussing. These are a few of the takeaways…
- Sales as service – Sales is best conducted as a service. When we set out to provide an incredible experience for our prospective customer – creating “unreasonable hospitality” to quote Will Guidara – sales feels easy and the right customers feel silly saying no.
- Believe in what you are selling and who you’re selling it to – If you don’t believe in what you are selling, stop. If you don’t believe the person you’re selling to, stop. Authentic selling comes from trusting the person you are talking to.
- Attitude – Being present with your customer is a superpower. If you maintain an attitude of loving-kindness, you’re likely to be well-remembered.
- Emotional connection – Everything in authentic sales is predicated on establishing a connection between you and your prospect. People buy from people.
- Enthusiasm is a competitive advantage – As Kevin Kelly says, “Optimism is worth 25 IQ points.” When you’re showing up enthusiastic, you’re more believable, more likely to close the sale, and you’ll have more fun.
- Integrity – It’s useful to define “integrity” for yourself and what you mean when you think of integrity in sales. For me, that means selling and persuading without using force and while keeping my commitments.
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Two beliefs that are helpful:
- There is abundance – You don’t need – or want – a sale that isn’t a good fit.
- They know best – Your prospective customer always knows what’s best for themselves.
- What’s your founder/origin story – One of the essential ingredients in connecting with a customer is telling your founder’s story. Why are you talking about this topic, and why should someone else care?
- The four elements of story – There are a million ways to tell a compelling story. But one of the simplest is a four-part structure: setup, change, turning, and resolution.
- Help them, no matter what – One of the best ways to cultivate a long-term relationship is to help the person achieve their goal, even if that means recommending something outside your offering. Be like Santa in Miracle on 34th Street.
- Flexible goals – If you’re using pressure, you’re not maintaining flexible goals. If your goal is to help somebody, even over closing a sale, you’re not going to be disappointed if they say no.
- Asking questions – Ask enough questions to learn about your customer’s pain points. They’ll tell you what you need.
- How fast you can get to “no.” – Get to know your prospect and their needs as quickly as possible. There are 8 billion people in the world. If the person you are talking to is not a good fit, somebody else will be!
- The ask – Asking for what you want is usually the hardest part of a sale. But it doesn’t have to be hard with clear boundaries. The pressure most of us feel when we prepare to ask comes from a fear of rejection and being told no.
- Boundaries – Boundaries can be as simple as time-boxing meetings, arriving on time, or discussing what you say you are going to discuss. They can also be as nuanced – doing what you say you’ll do, not negotiating past your comfort, or saying “no” to a sale that isn’t a good fit.
- Be respectful of their time – At the start of a sales conversation, be clear about the purpose of the meeting. Clarifying your intentions at the beginning of a conversation makes a huge difference in the other person’s experience and your own comfort.
- Start on time – Always start a sales meeting on time. Arrive early and be ready to begin when scheduled.
- Check in at the beginning – At the start of the conversation, make sure now is still a good time. If it’s not, offer to reschedule.
- Keep your commitments – If you told your prospective buyer that the meeting would last 15 minutes, keep it under 15 minutes. Ideally, end 2 minutes early to demonstrate respect for their time.
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3 things I’ve loved this week
Book I’m reading
The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter
I'd heard the name Michael Easter, but never sat down to read one of his books until recently. I’ve been listening to both The Comfort Crisis, which put Easter on the map, and Embrace Discomfort, which consists of a series of interviews with people who’ve intentionally chosen challenge over convenience.
Article I’ve enjoyed
Flounder Mode: Kevin Kelly on a different way to do great work
Here’s just one great quote: “Greatness is overrated,” he said, and I perked up. “It’s a form of extremism, and it comes with extreme vices that I have no interest in. Steve Jobs was a jerk. Bob Dylan is a jerk.”
I’ve always been interested in portfolio careers, which is how I’ve lived my life over the last two decades: gymnast, restaurateur, dog trainer, event producer... This article about Kevin Kelly and how he works articulates a lot of ideas that I strive to live by.
Quote I’m considering
“When you have fun, you perform better.” -Simone Biles
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Here's how I can help
I've begun teaching a cohort-driven course about sales. This is a new approach to selling for people who aren't quite comfortable - yet. If you're interested, join the waitlist here.
Everyone has a story. Zander Media helps startups and global brands clarify their message and create videos that change people.
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Responsive Conference is an annual summit that brings together 300 executives, founders, and entrepreneurs who want to make work better. Join us this September and equip your team to respond to change!
Until next week,
Robin
