"To fake it is to stand guard over emptiness."
Arthur Herzog
I'm here to inform you, a sales professional thinks before they act. They plan, prepare and practice as they build the foundation known as success. They lead with intention. Not only do they become the example, they are the example.
What makes a sales professional great? They're purposeful, full of pride and are precise with their decisions by aligning their vision and values to earn the respect of their clients. With determined intent, they engage in heartfelt activities benefitting those around them. And this is what your clients and prospects crave, right? They deserve a sales professional who is heartfelt, sincere and fills out a suit with empathy, emotion and excitement.
SALES PROFESSIONALS, CUSTOM LEADERS - NOT EMPTY SUITS
Sales professionals are effective in opening up business conversations as they speak the language of leadership. This language clearly conveys their ideas to their audience. They customize their language which precisely explains their thinking to the hearts and minds of those whom they wish to move to action, their clients and prospects.
A true sales professional understands how to create, deliver and align their value proposition to capture the heart and mind of their clients.
"If you don't know the value you bring to your current clients then how do you know the value you can bring to your potential clients?"
Just curious... Would your clients truly know the value that you're bringing to them? Let's take this one step farther. I encourage you to ask them... What does value mean to you and have I been delivering this for you? Curious to know the responses. It's OK if you eat some humble pie, it's good for you.
It's about delivering delightful amounts of value at all times. Live it, walk it, talk it and broadcast it for everyone to hear.
CUSTOM FIT THE SUIT
Sales professionals are not empty suits in the eyes of their clients and prospects!
There's something to be said for a custom fitted suit. It's unique and empowering. It's the statement you make about who you are and what you value regarding your appearance.
Let's face it, anyone can stroll into their local department store and pull a suit off the rack, but to truly “pull off” the suited look, a sales professional visits the tailor.
Off-the-rack department store suits fail in offering up much in a variety of style, even the most formal stores will not have every suit style available on the rack. With a custom tailor, your suit can be made according to any style and with any fabric. There's no limit to what you can ask for; custom liners, pockets, lapels, buttons and monogramming; whatever you desire, a tailor can deliver the style and material you want.
Sales professionals do not provide an off the rack experience
Sales professionals do not play business dress-up. Instead, they dress the part of leadership. They lead with education. They lead with inspiration. They lead with insight. They lead with love.
Are you starting to smell what I'm cooking up?
REPEAT AFTER ME, NO EMPTY SUITS!
In 3 Dead Giveaways That You Are An Empty Suit, I introduced you to a simple equation...
Lack of substance + low business acumen + poor business conversational skills = empty suit.
It saddens me and it's unfortunate, in the sales world today; there are a tremendous number of empty suits. The sales profession can do better than they’re doing. The issue boils down to misalignment. Many in sales are misaligned with their inner self, which leads to a chaotic lifestyle. It’s hard to become the best version of yourself if you're clueless or can’t identify with who you are.
Your prospects are smart. Your clients are even more intelligent. They can smell commission breath a mile away.
An executive presence + competence fills out an empty suit
Sales professionals who lead from the heart have courage. The courage to be human in a sales world full of facades.
Ask yourself this... right now, this very moment - Am I relevant to my clients?
Now, I encourage you to look in the mirror and ask yourself...
- Am I going the extra distance for my clients?
- Am I serving others?
- Am I serving the cause?
- Am I developing a deep, genuine concern for my clients?
If you struggle to answer these questions, you may be an empty suit.
STOP BEING A FAKE
It's too hard to pretend to be somebody you're not. So why don't you just be yourself?
Social Media has become a fake world carnival; many wear a mask, to hide their true self. So many fighting to be seen with very little substance and much to say. Unfortunately, the same can be said within the sales world.
Pretending to be something you're not can be exhausting, it can also cost you when it comes to trust building with your clients and prospects.
Remove the sales mask and become your true self. Ditch the facade and fakeness.
Here's a huge issue! Too many in sales are copy-cats. Yes, I said it. They run around attempting to mimic the sales success of others. Stop the madness salespeople!
I'm sure you hear this all the time, "Just be yourself". However, being yourself is following your path, not comparing yourself to others. When you try to be different, you disconnect from what you want.
I'm here to inform you, your clients and prospects can smell a walking, talking and insincere facade a mile away.
IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!
Would you have a clue as to what your clients and prospects crave in a sales professional?
How about asking them how they view you? Ask them to be sincere and honest with their response.
Salespeople, this sh$t is important to uncover. Yes, this will mean becoming a bit vulnerable and bracing yourself for things you may not like to hear.
Stop being empty suits in the minds of your clients!
There's no substitute in their minds. There's absolutely nothing wrong with dressing the part. The problem lies when it’s all style and no substance. Expensive Armani suits are no substitute for business acumen. Fine clothing is not a substitute for brains.
Don't suffer in silence as the empty suit leads you down the road of obscurity. I'm here to help.
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.
Comments (0)