Sales leadership is nothing more than interacting with others to make a positive impact. We can break it down even further and say that sales leadership is just people connecting with people. Sales and leadership are one and the same.
Sales is only as complicated as we want to make it. I feel like we too often over complicate it and then wonder why our customers aren’t buying. We need to get back to seeing our role as simply impacting others in a positive manner. That’s the gist of selling, and we need to get back to the basics. When we do this, we will earn the right, privilege and honor to be able to meet with that person again, because we’ll have his/her respect.
Watch this 40-second video on the subject…
The number one issue I feel people struggle with in sales is understanding their purpose. Early on in my sales career, I was solely focused on my sales goal. Customers were just a tool to help me meet my quarterly number. Having a relationship with them was irrelevant to me. It wasn’t until I changed my perspective that I began to see sales for what it is. Sales is helping people. A funny thing happened when my mindset shifted: my numbers actually went up, and I was more successful. The reason for greater success was my better understanding of the customer. I was able to really connect with them and ultimately, that led to closing deals faster and for larger amounts.
Whenever I share this with sales teams whether in large meetings or one-on-one coaching sessions, I’m struck by how many people suddenly feel like a giant weight has been lifted from their shoulders. The weight was the quarterly number they have to achieve both to get paid and to keep their job. Many of you reading this probably feel similarly.
So, just because your mission is to interact and positively impact others, you cannot sit back and become passive. With relationships as the goal, you should be more aggressive, because you know there are people out there that you can impact. When you have the ability to change a person, whether it be B2B or B2C, you want to do it. There is something inside of you tugging at your emotions telling you to help that person.
Sales is still an aggressive activity, even when you’re 100% people focused. It’s aggressive, because there are so many salespeople out there spewing false information and taking advantage of customers. Also, not everyone you come in contact with will understand your purpose and how you want to help them. The big difference is when you’re aggressive in wanting to help people, you will do so with the right motive. Your motive is a desire to help others. That motive becomes your passion, and that is vastly different than the person who just wants to make their quarterly number.
Am I saying that making your quarterly number is unimportant? No, it’s essential! I’m saying that you will make the quarterly number more frequently and even blow past that number when you focus on the customer first.
This is an issue I’m very passionate about and one of the reasons I’m writing a new book scheduled to release later this year. It’s titled “Monday’s Are For Selling.” I trust that you’ll find this book to be a refreshing take on sales. It will probably even negate a number of myths you currently have about sales. Over the next couple months, I’ll be sharing portions of the book here in my blog and on social media. Send me all your thoughts, feedback and questions on the content. I look forward to helping you be more successful. Sales is leadership and leadership is sales.
Copyright 2019, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results
