Learning to become a great salesperson, business development officer, or account manager who provides value brings with it an additional, very personal benefit, one that extends beyond increased bonuses and commissions.
What are the day-to-day emotions of an average salesperson?
Imagine every day going to work, staring at a list of companies or names that you know nothing about, starting at "A" and ending at "Z" making phone, virtual, or in-person calls hawking products that you have no clue whether your prospect needs or desires. Every call is prefaced with a fear of rejection. Once you hear "no" repeatedly, it is natural that you feel depressed. Frustration sets in regularly. You believe you must manipulate to close a deal. You feel that your work life is one of drudgery dealing with prospects insisting on lower prices. Friday afternoon is your favorite time of the week. You dread Mondays. You long ago forgot the meaning of positive self-confidence.
Contrast these emotions with the emotions of the great salesperson who sells value with each interaction.
Imagine what it's like knowing that every sales call you make provides a relevant and important solution to a problem you know your prospect is facing. When you prepare, when you do your homework and are confident that your company's solutions will help your prospect achieve their goals, how much do you enjoy each sales call? How good do you feel about your company and yourself knowing that what you offer provides exceptional value to the other person? How great is it when you have your client's respect and are even considered a valuable member of your their team? How much confidence do you exude? You'll still look forward to Fridays. Yet every Monday you'll wake up excited to go to work knowing you get to help more companies and more people achieve their objectives.
Practice Sales Intelligence.
Do your homework. Understand what's important to your prospects and clients and align your solutions with what they care about. Provide relevant value in every interaction.
Do that and you'll make a lot more money. Do that and you'll have a lot more fun.
Author: Sam Richter, CSP, CPAE National Speaker Hall of Fame | Top 50 Sales Keynote Presenters | Bestselling Author