To sell is to serve

The title says it all. To sell is to serve. Too often I speak with salesmen whose main focus is making a bigger commission for themselves. Yes, getting paid is important, I am all about those fat stacks, but when that is what is at the forefront of your mind as you go into a presentation, it will be conveyed in your tone and your general vibe. Frankly, it is salesmen like that that give sales a bad rap. The prospect will pick up on it and chances are you won't get the sale or that commission you were after in the first place. 

A much healthier attitude is to ask yourself "who is this person I am selling to and how does buying from me truly serve this person?" It sounds simple enough but this one, slight shift in perspective is the difference between a sales job and a sales career. When you have the mindset of service, it not only changes your general vibe, it changes the questions you ask. you will find yourself asking more thoughtful second and third level questions which will in turn lead to a much greater understanding of the prospect and their needs. You will then be able to make a recommendation that is not only sensible, but is connected to the core motivations of the prospect and you have a much greater chance of landing that sale. An additional benefit is the relationship you build with that customer. People don't remember what you say, but they will always remember how you made them feel. When you use your sales position to make a person feel valued, respected, heard and understood, those feelings will stay with that person and you now have a productive relationship that benefits you both.

My advice to you today is to spend one full day completely divorced from the outcome of your presentations. Ignore the end result, and just do your best to understand the person on the other end of the phone, ask thoughtful questions and execute your sales process with integrity. Do those things and allow the commissions to take care of themselves.

Now get out there, make a connection, make someone feel amazing, and make those fat stacks.

~Kat Jack