"When you're able to be honest with yourself about who you are and finally can present your authentic true self to the world, you feel so much better about yourself, and it makes it easier for everyone else to feel better about you."
Gus Kenworthy
What mask are you wearing?
What are you hiding from the sales world? Furthermore, what are you hiding from your clients?
Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself; everyone else is taken.”
- Are you living as the real you and not someone else?
- Do your thoughts match your actions?
- Does your walk match your talk?
- Are you emphasizing the positive aspects of your personality?
Living a lie comes out sooner or later. Living a sales lie and somebody that you're not is even worse, as it will ultimately screw with your career.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
SALES PROFESSIONALS ARE SELF AWARE
Spend any amount of time in sales, and you will have eaten a slice of humble pie and been bitten by the reality bug. This bite injects salespeople with a dose of humility and awareness of their shortcomings, allowing them to become better sales professionals. If you’re willing to set aside your ego and to become humble as you go about your work as a sales professional, then you can project an attitude of "others-interest" and thus create a true buyer-focused experience.
The poem, written by Charles C. Finn was titled Please Hear What I am Not Saying.
The opening lines read,
“Don’t be fooled by me. Don’t be fooled by the face I wear, for I wear a mask, a thousand masks, masks that I am afraid to take off and none of them is me.”
Great sales professionals are not self-centered. The best of the best incorporate self-reflection and are truly aware of who they are. They love eating humble pie for breakfast and look forward to a day full of learning as they serve their clients.
BUILD THE REAL YOU
As sales professionals, you're front and center, the face of the business. The development of the real you allows you to establish a reputation and an identity while still maintaining a personal level of trust.
We've all heard the saying, "People do business with people they know, like and trust." Now, how do you become that person when somebody may not have personally met you?
Creating, cultivating and communicating the real you can dramatically improve your sales conversion rates. The goal... drive more sales revenue, increase client retention, gain more referrals and build rock solid relationships.
The question becomes, how do you become more recognizable? How do you build your authority? How do you build becoming the subject matter expert? How do you create your following?
Quite simple, bring the real deal version of you to the business table!
How do you differentiate yourself enough that people want to talk to you and not feel they're getting the same old sales story they hear from every other sales rep?
DITCH THE MASK
How do you feel about how you're portraying YOU for the business world to see? Are you truly yourself? Do you feel that you can be you, no matter what sales situation you're in?
I get it, masks may protect us, however; if you're not bringing the true version of yourself to the business table then I'm here to inform you that you'll get exposed. You may not believe me just yet but I promise at some point it will happen.
Masks irritate your skin, your body and you can't relax or be yourself. It's a huge drain on your mind. It's a hard act to constantly pretend to be, or feel like you need to be, someone else. Similarly, it's very draining to regularly act like you feel one way when you really feel another. You're mind plays tricks on you especially when you're wearing a sales mask.
Wouldn't most of you agree we admire those who bring their heart to the forefront, are honest and transparent and who stand up for what they believe in. And we poke holes and see right through those we see as fake or phony.
How come we find it so difficult to be authentic?
BE YOU, THE AUTHENTIC YOU
Wearing a mask protects you from vulnerability. Be you and be authentic, this is not a sign of sales weakness. When you wear a mask you stand in resistance to the true you.
You must stand tall and reflect who you are. You must believe it. You must own it. You must know what it stands for. You must know your strengths and your weaknesses. Wear those emotions on your business sleeve.
People connect with other people. It is all about the personal connection. If you are "blowing smoke" at people what's the likelihood they will come to trust you?
“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”
Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection
Becoming authentic is a process and journey to begin knowing who you really are. To understand your own personality traits, behaviors, values, beliefs, needs, goals and motives. It's having the courage to acknowledge your limitations, embracing your own vulnerability and to stand proud saying, "This is who I am!"
THE HUMAN BOW
How hard is it to be an authentic human being?
I'm here to tell you, there will come a point in your sales life, when you're sick and completely exhausted of all the masks your juggling and the people you're trying to impress.
Sales masks are a sign of weakness. Sales masks are harming you.
Your clients and your prospects can tell when they're in the presence of an authentic human being, one who isn't "putting on a sales show," they're just true to their humanness. They're Selling From the Heart. This comfort is heartfelt because in their presence everyone can sense their authenticity and sense the deep peace this authenticity brings out in their conversations.
Rip the mask off and discover the real you!
Sincerity, substance and heart will set you apart!
I understand, I get where you all are coming from. Every day, I walk in your shoes. I am fully committed to helping your sales team integrate social aspects and modern strategies into your current sales process to grow new business. I want you to get results. This is why I am passionate about doing this the right way, the genuine way, the authentic way! It's about understanding value before visibility.
Selling From the Heart is making a difference! I poured my heart into every page of this book and I think you're going to love it. You can find it on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. You can click on the book image below and this will take you to Amazon.
You can find more material inside Selling From The Heart.
In a world full of empty suits, I'm passionate about helping sales reps succeed by getting valuable before they get visible. I help sales teams understand the true value they bring to the market.
I appreciate getting the opportunity to share my stories. Integrating the use of social and sharing my story on LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive office technology world. With great pride I transform, challenge, coach and inspire sales teams to grow new business by helping them share their story and how they communicate it out by integrating the use of social inside the sales process. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter and on my podcast by clicking on Selling from the Heart.
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