The Second Fundamental of Sales Know-How – Knowing Why You Do It
In previous blogs I introduced The 6 Fundamentals of Sales Know-How, the evolution of my sales method, built through 30 years’ experience in sales – that works. So far I have covered our first Fundamental of Sales Know-How – Knowing What You Do. That’s foundational to your role as a problem solver. Also foundational and equally as important is understanding why you are in sales.
Knowing Why You Do It is understanding yourself from a sales perspective: your purpose, your values and your factors for success.
So why are you in sales?
Is it to make sales and reach targets?
Is it just a job to get by?
What gives you job satisfaction?
What does meaningful look like to you?
Being in a B2B sales role can be interesting, rewarding and full of variety. It enables access to so many industries and experiences, in a way that creates great job satisfaction as you contribute and make a difference.
Dr Philip Kotler said: “A good company offers excellent products and services. A great company also offers excellent products and services but also strives to make the world a better place.”
The same can be said for individuals, particularly in the B2B world where relationships remain vital and authenticity shines. Throughout my sales career, I’ve focused on genuine win/win outcomes that were good for both the customer and the company I was working for, while at the same time being honest and ethical.
Realisation of purpose has become more prevalent in recent years, with British-American author Simon Sinek leading the charge with his 2009 book Start with Why. Sinek states that his “why” is to “Inspire people to do the things that inspire them”.
Purpose is your reason for being. Many businesses and organisations have one, and you may already be aware of yours. I think it is important to be clear what your own personal purpose is, to provide you with a direction and a guiding set of principles. From time to time throughout your sales career you will be faced with scenarios and situations that challenge you. Knowing your purpose gives you something to refer to that grounds you and allows you to be true to yourself – whatever that self may be.
Certainly, part of sales is storytelling; drawing a picture for the customers that articulates the features, advantages and benefits of your offer in a way that wills them to work with you. There is a saying along the lines of “don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story”, and while there is nothing wrong with being optimistic, always use your own moral compass and let the truth be your guide.
Sales Traits and Soft Skills
You may have heard people described as being born for sales. That may be true, but I’m a firm believer that anyone can learn the basics of sales success. And yes, some will learn more and be better.
The iceberg metaphor is used frequently in business to explain concepts from organisational change through to change management, wellness and success in general. The theory is that so much of what you see is shaped by the larger volume of effort and planning activity underneath, which is unseen. In short, it’s about what’s seen from the outside versus what’s going on underneath.
The same metaphor can be applied in sales: that is, what you see – say Selling Skills and Sales Results – is shaped and influenced by what is unseen – say Pipeline Management, Strategic Sales Planning and the base People Skills, and arguably your Purpose and Values.
People skills – genuine people skills – are important in any sales role. Again, trying to be someone you are not comes through as false and contrived. People skills complement your organisational and sales skills.
To my mind, there are two components: Sales Traits and Soft or Human Skills. They both support you meeting your purpose and “why”. Having some inherent sales traits and soft skills helps; knowing which ones you need to learn and develop is important too.
I tend to think of traits as qualities that you inherently have as part of your make-up that shape your day-to-day actions. Traits that I have found to be valuable in sales include tenacity, resilience and being disciplined.
Resilience is vital in sales: you will never win every sale you chase, and people will say no to you often. It is important to understand that 99% of the time, it is not personal – it is business.
Tenacity is a valuable trait in sales, particularly when you consider these two telling statistics from HubSpot:
60% of customers say no four times before saying yes whereas 48% of salespeople never even make a single follow-up attempt.
80% of sales require 5 follow-up calls whereas 44% of salespeople give up after one follow-up call.
Soft skills are the informed, subtle glue that binds it all together and can give you the extra edge to mould your success. Soft skills I find valuable in sales are things like Emotional Intelligence (EQ), storytelling and relationship building.
If your soft skills come naturally, then sales will too – if you follow your playbook. Customers can quickly tell the difference between authenticity and trying too hard.
If you get your sales approach right, you will build one of the key ingredients in the successful selling recipe – TRUST. Without trust, you will not build long-term mutually beneficial relationships. Erode that trust, and it will take a long time to rebuild, if you can
One piece of advice I give those in sales roles is to just be themselves and not try to be something they are not. If you try to be something you are not, you will get found out. In the world of B2B sales, a strong personal brand is important, and the core of that brand is who you are. Just be you. What you say and how you deliver it will evolve as you get more comfortable. The most important thing is to find your starting point, start using it and build from there
Let’s Recap
Be clear and honest with yourself about why you are in sales and what your guiding principles are.
Acknowledge and embrace the sales traits and soft skills you possess and seek ways to develop those you need.
Understand what success looks like to you and celebrate the wins along the way.
Next up it’s the Third Fundamental of Sales Know-How – Knowing Who You Do It For.
But if you can’t wait until then you can purchase my book now here.
If you want to evolve your sales approach to be more consultative and effective, I’m here to help. Check out my services or contact me directly for a bespoke programme of business mentoring at hello@iancartwright.co.nz