“The heart of the leader is manifested through service to others.”
Artika Tyner
How often do you hear the key to success is customer service, yet this is one of the greatest struggles for many in sales?
I have a solution, but it requires more than a change of focus, it requires a change in purpose. The key driver to great customer service is to become a servant.
A sales servant is more than a visionary word change, it's a mindset and belief change. It's based on the purpose to serve versus reactive customer service. To become a servant YOU must change your mindset, discipline and heart.
"Actions speak louder than words when speaking from the heart"
SALES PROFESSIONALS ARE SERVANT LEADERS
True leadership is the ability to affect change and influence your clients, helping them to do better business. As the coach, you need a game plan; just as a general needs a plan of attack or someone running for office needs a platform. A true professional brings a proactive thought process to how they lead themselves.
One of the most influential people in the history of mankind, once said, “Whoever wants to be great among you must become a servant.” – Jesus of Nazareth
This perspective, however, smacks many in the face of how most people tend to live their lives. Most people don’t want to serve. They would much prefer to be served.
If you want to be 'great', if you want to be 'successful', learn to become a servant. Stop selling…Start serving... Start by leading yourself.
I wholeheartedly believe:
- Servants make themselves available to serve
- Servants pay attention to others needs
- Servants do every task with equal dedication
- Servants are faithful and they are trustworthy
“Great reward is earned through the genuine mindset to serve”
SERVANTS LEAD WITH THEIR HEART
There's a massive difference between being a vendor who takes orders and being viewed as someone who brings value.
Do you view and treat your customers as customers or clients?
A vendor or customer mindset defaults to a defensive or reactive position. Many miss opportunities to help increase value by being able to build a dependable and mutually profitable relationship.
Adopting a servant leadership mindset takes a conscious effort by learning and committing to develop self-effectiveness.
- I want to please YOU
- I want to make YOU feel special
- Making YOU happy is not my job, it is my purpose!
A HEART THAT SERVES DRIVES SALES REVENUE
Those who lead with the heart help their clients discover how to make decisions and manage possible change by using their own values.
Sales rep who lead with the heart are avid listeners of the... Selling From The Heart Podcast
Those who lead with the heart seek out authentic and genuine ways to continually serve those that mean the most to them, their clients!
A Servant Mindset Is Rocket Fuel For Sales Growth
A SERVANT PLACES THEIR CLIENTS FIRST
You must put your client's perspectives and needs far ahead of your own agenda, in order to give yourself any chance. Putting them first, it's not complicated. It's about making them feel important and valued. If they need help, there should be absolutely no hesitation. If there's a question, every effort should be made to answer it. If there's a complaint, every effort should be made to rectify the problem immediately. Client satisfaction should be at the forefront in any reasonable situation.
Instead of worrying about being interesting, we need to first be interested. Develop empathy for your clients. Start to gain an understanding of what motivates them and how this can align to what you can deliver.
Remember, you're in the outcome business. What memories and experiences are you delivering?
Your clients come first, no matter what, no ifs ands or buts! This is the only way of doing business and living the sales life. If you take care of your clients, they'll take care of you.
A SERVANT SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD
Listen closely to your clients. Seek to understand their needs, concerns, desires, issues, challenges and current initiatives. A sales rep sells products, a true professional sells a solution to the problem.
By seeking first to understand, you can turn a transactional opportunity into a transformational opportunity. Position yourself on the same side of the table looking at the problem instead of staying on opposite sides of the table staring at each other.
A SERVANT SEEKS TO OPEN UP CONVERSATIONS
If you truly want to get to know your clients, you must take the sales hat off, roll up your sleeves and engage in healthy conversation.
Here lies a concern...
How many in sales are having meaningful conversations with their clients outside of the selling process?
The best of the best know how to bring conversation out in the open. It's about uncovering the conversation your client is having with themselves. This enables open and honest communication to what's really going on providing the freedom to engage in a mutually beneficial relationship.
If your client's don't feel like they're being heard or understood, they may withhold critical information as to where they really are within their buying decision, which may diminish or eliminate your ability to impact the outcome.
Develop conversations, not sales campaigns. It is not about your agenda, it is about opening up a human to human conversation. It is not about you it is about helping them. Develop a sincere desire and demonstrate you're interested in their world and what motivates them.
They can smell insincerity and commission breath a mile away!
WIN THEIR HEARTS
In a business world where many in sales are viewed upon with negativity, an authentic, real-deal approach is a breath of fresh air. It may result in losing a few battles but those who put their hearts and clients first are guaranteed to win the war.
- A servant sales rep has an authentic desire to serve
- A servant sales rep is all in
- A servant sales rep is focused on serving the needs of the person sitting in front of them
Whoever wants to become a sales professional must become a SERVANT!
I understand and I get it. I get where you all are coming from. Every day, I walk in your shoes. I'm fully committed to helping your sales team integrate social aspects through the eyes of a practitioner 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.
I encourage you to find out more about 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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