"It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much"
Yogi Berra
Think about this statement for a moment... Sales reps who take over conversations poison their own well.
When you steal your customers voice, you lower their belief in you.
Don't suffer from conversational narcissism!
Narcissistic sales reps enjoy hearing themselves talk. Without fail, they find a way to circle back to their story. their product, their industry tenure and their support. They don’t intend to be rude, but they sure do get blinded by their sales light, their own dramas and sales crapola.
A SOCIAL EPIDEMIC
We live in a different sales world today. We're digitally driven, socially connected and mobile empowered. We can communicate and connect at lightning speed.
Many are fighting to been seen but how many are truly breaking free to be heard?
It's unfortunate but many are suffering from Social Attention Disorder or commonly known as SAD.
It's a rampant epidemic brought about by empty suits, facades and narcissistic digital behavior.
Some sure-fire signs...
- Self-absorbed & attention seeking - love using the word "I" and "Me"
- Lack of empathy - Do they really care how you are?
- Lack of insight and self-awareness - fail to build deep relationships
The social emperor has no clothes!
Do you ever stop and wonder what someone on the other end is thinking?
"Stop trying to impress me. I can make up my own mind about whether I like you; trust you; or even believe you. You don’t have to make up my mind for me."
GENUINE CONVERSATIONS MATTER
Is having a conversation a lost sales art? Furthermore, is having a business focused conversation a lost sales art?
Conversations are the strongest sales tool that sales reps have in order to effectively build credible relationships between their clients, their prospects, their brand and their company.
Are you having meaningful conversations?
When's the last time you had a conversation with a client or a prospect and heard this...
“Wow, this was one of the best conversations I’ve ever had!”
The way you open conversations has a direct bearing on what happens next. The direction of those conversations along with the strategy behind those conversations; all will have a direct bearing on one thing... a potential sales opportunity.
You never know when one conversation will lead to exponential sales growth.
Conversations build relationships, and relationships build businesses.
What do your clients and prospects care about? They don't care about your canned pitches and the all about you messaging. Stop pitching and puking canned crapola and start opening a human connection and conversation.
Engaging questions lead to engaging conversation which leads to relationship building
AUTHENTICALLY LISTEN
Authenticity, it's making the conscious choice based on accurate self-knowledge. This means stepping outside the shallow world in which many in sales live.
Authenticity and being human, it's a choice. It's not easy, but this is the difference between just getting by and making it happen. Self-reflect for a moment, asking yourself what does it mean to be a human when engaging in a business conversation? It's hard work. It's looking right into the mirror, asking tough questions and answering them. You're in charge of your own sales career.
My question to all of you... What has happened to authenticity?
It's not about you nor your company nor your wallet. It's about deeply and genuinely understanding the other person.
When you engage in conversation, remember the person you're in front of may be saying this to themselves:
- Do you see me?
- Do you hear me?
- Does what I say matter to you?
FINAL WORD
Conversations are the most powerful tool you have at your disposal to foster relationships.
Having meaningful conversations is something that can be learned, with focus and practice, all those in sales can become better at it.
Let's all unite to bring about care and compassion in how we connect.
It's about bringing sincerity, substance and heart to the forefront.
Listen with intent. Listen with your heart. Listen to learn.
Conversations matter when they come from the heart.
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, kindle and in audio. 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, Facebook and on my podcast by clicking on Selling from the Heart.
Comments (0)