For this blog, I offer a key aspect that deals with Sales that true leaders need to understand and apply. There are aspects where Neuroscience gets involved with this issue as well. Let me simply set the stage by one picture if you will. It is an insidious way in which a narcissism really gets involved. Let me just offer the picture.
One part of the picture is that in the way many salespeople apply their techniques, it can represent this image and let me offer that a salesperson should not let this be experienced by the prospect and sometimes, having numbers they must meet can make them apply this. The way that I describe this dysfunctional approach is the experience that………”It is not important what I can actually do for you…..it is just important what I may convince you what I can do for you!” Realize that with this approach, your focus is only on you and whether you can get the money. But your focus is not on the prospect.
Also, as a Prospect who is being approached by a salesperson, be careful and aware. The risk of this is that what they do and focus on…..may not really be focused on what you truly need.
The reader may remember when I met with a group in Fort Worth that focused on VOIP (Voice over the Internet with Protocol) and I offered 2 questions that would help them connect with their Prospects and help the prospects to experience their connect and THE PROSPECT’S value. They were amazed in a positive way at the questions. The reader may remember the 2 questions were:
1. As you look at your current goals and strategies, how is your current equipment or team….Holding You Back?
2. Would you like to meet together and explore that?
If the salesperson joins together with the prospect in their journey and helps them in that journey with their goals, the prospect/client will experience the difference. Additionally, it will help the prospect apply the processing part of their brain (Neuroscience) and perhaps be better even going forward.
Also, if you are the prospect, realize that if the salesperson seems to be applying the dysfunctional approach mentioned above, their priority may not be on you and the goals you seek. With that dysfunctional approach, the focus could be not only just on the money you will pay them but the salesperson could possibly be trying to make you dependent on them so you will have no choice but to pay them more in the future.
These are considerations to keep in mind both as the sales rep and also the prospect. On both sides, avoid the dysfunctional approach. As Zig Ziglar correctly said:
“STOP SELLING…..START HELPING!”.
- Randy Swaim, Coaching for Relevance, LLC