Changing how we perceive ourselves as salespeople and how we sell.
Here’s an index of this section for quick navigation:
I won’t show you how to “hack” your business to grow 100X. Don’t believe the hype from so-called gurus. There’s no magic pill, no one-size-fits-all. I’m not your guru, but I will be your guide and help you find the authentic way that works best for you.
Selling is like cooking, you can use the same ingredients and processes but still create a variety of dishes depending on the specific methods you use. There are many out there, such as SPIN selling, Challenger selling, N.E.A.T. selling, etc., but it’s important to recognize that no single methodology works best. Tailor your approach to align with your prospects, with what your reps are comfortable with, and with what works best for your processes and the offerings you’re selling. If you’re interested in a summary of the 12 most popular methodologies, give this a read.
BUT first! We need to address our mindset and perception of sales before we can even begin fine-tuning our methods. Selling should never be about convincing someone to buy something they don’t need. To emphasize, I paraphrase the late Steve Jobs:
“You’re not allowed to sell.
Enrich people’s lives through education of our products”
Notice that Apple hires “Specialists”, not “Sales” in their retail stores. Guy Kawasaki, an early employee brought on to market their Macintosh computer line popularized the term evangelist in marketing. The same applies to sales: exceptional salespeople possess a sincere passion and truly believe in the value of their offerings. When you authentically believe you have a great solution and it genuinely benefits your prospect, the interaction shouldn’t feel transactional. Rather than seeing yourself as a salesperson, adopt the mindset of an evangelist. By attracting the right customers, guiding them through appropriate processes, and prioritizing their best interest, what might feel like uncomfortable sales transforms into authentic service, and profit will naturally follow suit.
Mindset 1: Intention
Focus on what they want,
not what you want (to close a sale/build rapport/etc.).
The initial significant change in mindset entails prioritizing the best interests of your prospects (helping them with their decision, educating them, enhancing their experience, and adding value) over your own (such as meeting sales quotas or maximizing revenue for your organization).
Profit is important, but don’t let profit be the purpose. Instead, it is the natural result that ensues when you focus on adding value and assisting your prospects.
Tactics are acceptable if used with the sincere intent to:
- Make the prospect comfortable.
- Help you confront your prospect with hard truths that they’ve been avoiding and aren’t serving them.
- Make your SDRs (Sales Development Representatives) or yourself more authentic and natural in your sales process.
Intention is everything. A little off tangent, but I’m reminded of a debate we had at the social venture incubator/accelerator where I used to work.
Certain impact investors are overly selective in how they define a social venture. Even if a venture can’t meet impact criteria today (e.g. through certification like B-Corp or others), it shouldn’t mean that it should be immediately disqualified for investment consideration. The reverse is also true; some organizations leverage greenwashing as a marketing tactic. What’s more important is to understand if they have honest intentions and are continually working towards improving their alignment on people, planet, and profit.
For instance, a small startup might not be able to afford eco-friendly packaging because they lack the scale to make it economical (not because they don’t want to). If they’re truly purpose-driven, they’ll readily switch to more environmentally friendly solutions once they’re able to. It’s the trend and pattern of behaviors that matter. Are they actively looking to improve their impact, or are they simply trying to check a box to meet certain criteria?
You won’t go wrong if you prioritize putting the prospect first in every sales interaction. View it as an exploration between two parties to create a vision for a better future with a clear path to getting there. Not every prospect who starts on this journey will reach the end, and that’s OK! Don’t force it.
Aim to leave your prospects better than when you found them,
regardless of whether they buy from you or not.
Mindset 2: Be Authentic
You have to believe in the value of your own solution and be genuinely passionate about your mission or industry. If you don’t, you’re working for the wrong company. No amount of training can enhance the performance of an SDR who lacks enthusiasm. Beyond the obvious, you’ll need to find a style that aligns with your values. You shouldn’t have to force yourself to match your prospect’s personality, cadence, or preferences.
Realize that “self” is not singular; it’s plural. There is no such thing as one true authentic self. We have different archetypes or modes of being when we’re with different people, and we might behave differently with our best friends than with our grandparents. Yet, we can confidently say that both of those are authentic versions of ourselves. We develop these different archetypes because it’s valuable to select the right mode of being depending on the situation.
For instance, you might not swear or make fart jokes (that you do with your friends) in front of your grandma (although some of you might, and that’s a beautiful thing!). Similarly, it isn’t always the most helpful to be overly friendly at work, lest your employees find it difficult to take you seriously. It’s entirely normal to have a work or sales “mode” and different personalities or identities depending on who you’re interacting with. That doesn’t make you inauthentic or fake.
You’ll need to discover for yourself what your personal style is, where you draw the line between these archetypes, and when to employ them. Authenticity means not feeling the need to be someone you’re not, to avoid any sense of being forced. Your archetypes are your personal designs, and more importantly, they all reflect the same set of personal values and ethical ethos that make you who you are. Never apply sales tactics that you aren’t comfortable with or that conflict with your ethos.
Mindset 3: Think Long-term
Manipulative tactics may boost results in the short term, but they’re almost guaranteed to come back and haunt you with higher customer churn, negative reviews, or fewer referrals. Abandoning conversion-centric tactics to favor relationship building may result in small short-term sacrifices but almost always pays dividends in the long run. Not only directly through profit, but it will also improve employee engagement and culture in your organization.
Mindset 4: Be a Challenger
The Challenge Sales approach aligns with this principle. The idea of being a Challenger sounds aggressive, but it isn’t about pushing prospects to buy something they don’t need. Instead, it’s about understanding what’s best for your prospects, even when they may be unaware, hesitant to admit, or reluctant to confront certain aspects that are detrimental to them.
Challengers compassionately guide their prospects. This is achieved by adopting an empathetic approach. It involves informing prospects about their blind spots, overlooked opportunities, and how the offering you’re promoting can enhance their situation.
| Relationship Builders | Challengers |
|---|---|
| • Prioritize being accepted. • Avoid conflict or difficult conversations that might make the prospect uncomfortable, even if it’s what they need to hear. • Focused on convenience. | • Strong understanding of the prospect’s business, even more so than they know themselves. • Knowledge grounded in research and experience. • Willing to push the prospect out of their comfort zone if it’s right by them. • Unafraid of healthy and respectful debate. • Focused on maximizing customer value. |
Don’t take the above as a suggestion that relationship builders aren’t good salespeople. Instead, it’s a recommendation to go a step further if you really care about your prospects. Being a true Challenger requires not only integrity but kindness. It doesn’t imply a lack of concern for your clients’ needs. On the contrary, it’s precisely because you possess a deeper understanding than they do about their challenges, peers, marketplace, and industry that you can effectively assist them. This additional knowledge allows you to set yourself apart from competitors by introducing fresh insights that help your prospects reframe their perspectives. Coupled with investing attention into comprehending their individual needs and specific context, it empowers you to tailor your solution to suit them.
Challengers also need to excel at controlling and guiding conversations, not in a manipulative sense, but because prospects often lack awareness of what’s best for themselves. It’s not uncommon for prospects to become defensive when confronted with insights that challenge their long-standing preconceptions. Be emotionally resilient and understand that their defensiveness isn’t directed at you personally.