Could you see yourself as a Salesperson?

Do you think you have to be a good Salesperson to get more clients saying “Yes!” to working with you?  If so, that might be the very thing that is holding you back.  I’ll explain why.

First of all, can you reflect back to what flashed through your mind when you read the title of this blog post?   What does the word ‘Salesperson’ conjure up for you when you see it or hear it?

I asked this question at a Selling from the Heart workshop at the weekend and here are the answers that people gave – ‘pushy’, ‘manipulative’, ‘sleazy’, ‘used car salesman’, ‘cheesy’, ‘don’t listen’, ‘greedy’.   Wow!  What a lot of negative connotations associated with one simple word!  Are these the words that spring to mind for you too?

If so, let me ask you this – Is there any wonder that you might struggle in the sales process if you feel that to be successful you have to associate yourself with these words?

Well, let me tell you, you don’t.  In fact I would say that this is the biggest problem with traditional sales, it has spawned business owners and teams of salespeople who are out for their own gain, who have been trained in manipulative psychological techniques and whose sole focus is on ‘closing the sale’.  In other words the focus is on getting the client to do what the salesperson wants them to do, rather than having the clients best interest at heart.

But it doesn’t have to be like this.  In the new paradigm of more a more heart-centred  approach to doing business to be truly successful  the focus has to be on developing trust and building a relationship with the client.  This means listening to them, getting to know them, showing compassion and connecting from the heart.   Always with the focus on what is best for the client – not what is best for you, the service provider.

And yes, sometimes you might need to give someone a nudge – after all human beings are natural procrastinators,  and it is easy to put off decisions and action that involve change or financial commitment even when they are in someone’s best interest.   So there is nothing wrong with using soft sales techniques to give someone that extra bit of encouragement, but only when you are operating from integrity and know that your service  is the absolute best thing for the client.

So if you can’t see yourself as a salesperson that could be the best thing for your business!

I would advise throwing out the old idea of trying to sell to your clients, and instead adopt the role of ‘matchmaker’.  Understand their problem or desire fully, listen carefully and understand  their hearts desire.   Once you know all that, decide if you are someone who can meet that need – and if you are go ahead and claim them.

They will thank you for it and so will your business.