Passion sells! Last week I hosted a discussion with nearly 20 vice-presidents of sales. Our discussion centered on the need to find ways to sell more effectively and more efficiently. One of the key points that came up very early on was how important it is for salespeople to have passion for what they’re doing. Several of the sales VPs shared striking examples of how they had seen sales fall due to a lack of passion in their salespeople. Even though I’ve talked about the need for passion for years, I found it interesting how often it came up in our two-hour discussion and that there was a concensus amongst them that it is necessary to be successful. I didn’t even prompt the discussion on the topic! Passionate salespeople have the ability to create sales, to overcome problems, and to create long-term customer relationships.
I am not just trying to validate one of my core sales principles. I truly believe it is critical to not just hire people who have the ability to show passion, but to make sure that you too exhibit passion for your customers, your fellow employees, and for what you’re providing your customers.
