Ever ask your customers what they think of you? Are you ready to hear the truth? Or a better question would be, "Do you want to hear the truth?"
"Your perception may not be my reality"
Aporva Kala
No matter how excellent you think you are, your success depends first and foremost upon how good you are in your customers’ minds when responding to their ever-changing needs.
John Mackey (CEO, Whole Foods) nails it, “For us, our most important stakeholder is not our stockholders, it is our customers. We’re in business to serve the needs and desires of our core customer base.”
You must always be delivering on your promises or your reality in the eyes of your clients, which is the only reality that counts, will all but negate your efforts.
THE CUSTOMER MINDSET IS WHAT MATTERS
And, it's unfortunate, because most customers have an instant mistrust for those in sales, no matter what industry.
This really effects 'sales professionals' who place their clients on a pedestal, placing their needs above their very own. They are faced with widespread prejudice that must be overcome.
A stereotypical mindset exists. All too many bridges have been burned and moments of being let down are all too fresh in their minds.
Descriptive words such as...
- Used car salesman
- Pushy
- Talk too much
- Aggressive
- Money Hungry
- Egotistical
- Annoying
But, you can make a difference...
How well do you truly know your customers and how well do they know you?
The only thing that counts is what your customers think of you. You are what your customers say you are!
CHANGE THE GAME, CHANGE THEIR MINDSET
If you want to be viewed as being 'great', if you want to be viewed as a true 'sales professional' then learn to become a servant. Stop selling…Start serving... Start being a leader of yourself and lead with your heart!
Truly successful sales professionals lead with the heart and seek to serve their clients. The most high-valued sales relationships are peer-to-peer in nature. This is a huge mental and strategic shift most will find exhausting. This is a non-negotiable item if you want to change the perception of your customers.
Adopting a servant mindset takes a conscious effort by learning and committing to develop self effectiveness in areas such as:
- Listening
- Empathy
- Healing
- Persuasion
- Foresight
Think about stewardship with your clients. Make the commitment to grow relationships not for sales sake but to genuinely and with a sincere heart build a great community of clients.
You are what your customers say you are
3 THINGS TO LEARN TO CHANGE THEIR PERCEPTION
If you truly want to get to know your clients then take the sales hat off, roll up your sleeves and engage in healthy conversations. Are you having meaningful discussions with your clients outside of the selling process? How many relationships are you developing and nourishing?
Develop a sincere desire and demonstrate you're interested in your client's world and what motivates them.
When was the last time you had a conversation with one your clients that didn't involve trying to sell them something?
LEARN TO SERVE
You serve as the liason between your client, your company and the products and services you provide. Learn to be of service with each and every client. Lead with your heart.
- A servant has a sincere, genuine and authentic desire to serve
- A servant is all in and digs in deep
- A servant is focused in on serving the needs of the person sitting right in front of them. They simply give a rip!
We all have an opportunity to serve. I can't think of a greater return on investment.
LEARN TO RELATE
Become a bit vulnerable. Reveal a little bit about yourself. Provide your clients with the feeling they know who you are. Empathize with them. Let them know you care! Find mutual common ground as you continue to nurture the relationship. Allow your clients to get to know the real you.
Place yourself in their shoes. Understand what they go through. Take your sales hat off and place your client's hat on.
Ask your clients what you can do for them. Don’t wait around for them to ask. You must become proactive and ask ahead of time.
LEARN TO LISTEN
Listen with intent to learn and without an agenda. It's not about you, your wants nor needs, it's about them. Too many come to the sales table with their own agenda.
Stop thinking about your quotas and commissions.
Ditch the hidden agenda and leave it back at the office. Sincerely focus on your customer and how what you sell can best serve their hopes, dreams and goals.
Zig Ziglar said it best,
“You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want.”
Listen closely to your clients. Sales professionals seek to understand the needs, concerns, desires, issues, challenges and listen with curious intent. An amateur sales rep sells products, a professional sells a solution to the clients' problems.
IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
It's your responsibility to understand what your clients say about you! As a sales professional who's focused on long-term success, your main responsibility is to profitably serve your clients.
By learning to change their perception of you, you will slowly but surely, eliminate the negative perception of salespeople.
Approach each client with the utmost of integrity. Remember, be authentic, be real, be genuine and most of all sell 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!
In 2016, I was recognized by ENX Magazine as, “The Difference Maker,” as someone who is making a difference inside the B2B office technology sector. I am passionate about helping sales reps succeed in creating their online brand image.
You can find more advanced training material inside the Social Sales Academy website.
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, Social Sales Academy and on my podcast by clicking on Selling from the Heart.
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