By Kevin L. Baker, M.B.A.
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Selling. A word that often creates anxiety and fear in people. Contrary to the stereotype of the hated high-pressure salesman effect on people (run the other way), I believe people like to be sold and hate to be pressured and manipulated.
Selling is an important part of human life. It happens all the time. People need things. We live in a world where we depend on others to supply what we need—food, housing, transportation, repairs, medical treatment, services, childcare, and the list goes on and on. So, we look or ask others, “Hey, do you know a good mechanic? Doctor? Church? Plumber? Counselor? Home repairman? Accountant? Store to buy a washer and dryer? Financial planner? Bank? Child care provider? Car dealer?”
On the other side, when a person looks at the world from the point of view of the needs of others and creates something new, there is a challenge. When a business person knows what they have innovated is going to be valuable and good for others, but no one knows about it, it requires sales and marketing. What we have to sell might be knowledge, a skill, a product, a service, or some other good. So why do we get uptight about sales of something that is good for others?
A Conversation With a Tradesman on Selling
I recently needed a home repair. Being new to our area, my wife and I Googled the service we needed. We looked at the websites of those offering what we needed. We spent about 20 minutes looking at what they offered, the quality of their site, their prices, and then chose to call a business that interested us. When the tradesman arrived, I made the small talk I always do to better get to know who I am about to pay my hard earned money to. “How long have you been in business? How did you get started?” Then I listen and ask a few more questions to get to know the person and their business.
Often in return, I get this question: “What do you do?” When I share that I help business owners and CEOs reach their peak performance in life and business, the conversation usually results in a question about an issue or problem they are having.
This particular day the question was about sales. Like many skilled tradesman, he was good at what he does but hated selling. So I shared a great definition of sales that an entrepreneur coach named Dan Sullivan from Toronto wrote:
Sales is a two step process:
1. Getting people intellectually engaged in a future result that is good for them, and
2. Getting them to emotionally commit to take action to achieve that result.
I then asked my new businessman friend if he looked at sales this way, would he still hate sales. He said, “No. I guess that would make me feel good about helping people.”
The Nature of Selling
In business, we need sales like we need air to breathe. Without it, there is nothing. Selling is about more than making a profit. It is about who we are, our character, and how we treat people as we would hope to be treated. Sales begins with the intention behind how we persuade people to buy. In sales, we need to believe in what we are selling. If we truly believe that what we have to sell is the best value for a person and is truly good for them, people begin to listen and make an emotional commitment to take action to purchase the solution we offer for their need or problem.
So why is sales so stressful for both buyers and sellers?
First, we can never lose sight that at the core of buying and selling is human interaction—relationships. Most business people say, “all business is the people business,” but for too many those are just words. When someone needs what you want, the way they are persuaded is the key. If we do not treat them as people with respect and authentic concern that we provide something good for them, they will start to sense danger at a gut level and pull back.
Second, many people forget that when we want to sell something valuable IT NEEDS TO BE ABOUT THE PERSON WHO NEEDS IT, NOT ABOUT YOU. Again, at the gut level, people start getting turned off if they sense in any way that they are a number, or some kind of tool for your sales quota, or that you really do not care about providing something good to them.
I think some of the best salespeople are leaders on the world stage who have moved the masses with ideas because they truly cared about people, and put their good above all else. Humanitarian leaders like Mother Teresa are often great examples of excellent authentic salesmanship. Ideas take root and grow in the world because of a credible messenger and message.
We need to remember this in business.
Keep climbing to the Peak of Potential!™
Kevin
Kevin is CEO of Kevin Baker Inc. He is an executive coach, mentor, and friend to CEOs and business owners in Sydney, Australia. He also consults specialising in exit and succession planning, acquisition consulting, business sales, strategic growth, and capital funding strategies. If you liked this article you can receive more by clicking here.