Selling From A Place Of Leadership. When I talk about the topic of sales and selling effectiveness with people, it is usually polarising. On one end of the spectrum it is a necessary part of any successful business. It is the lifeblood. Without sales there is no revenue and things shut down quick.
At the other end, most people don’t like sales, selling, and maybe even salespeople.
The challenge is that for people who are in a sales role, they bring with them those feelings as a customer. This results in them acting more like Order Takers than sales professionals. They don’t want to have to trick people into buying from them.
What if there was another way to view your sales role? What type of results could you get if helping your qualified prospects buy, was more of your duty than just a hope? What would it be like for you (and them) if you “sold” in a way that was different than most people expected?
The key shift to make is in approaching your sales role as one of leadership.
When I imagine the traits of an amazing leader, it is something who:
• has a clear vision and they know where they are heading
• gets people to follow them, on their path, instead of needing to push people into it
• exudes a high level on confidence in what their focus is.
There are so many examples of great leaders in the history of the world and we can all come up with names of people who instantly come to mind. However …
Selling From A Place Of Leadership … What does this have to do with selling effectiveness?
When you operate as a sales ‘leader’ you are coming from a place of leading your prospect forward – becoming a Prospect Leader.
This means instead of pushing them to buy, or using tricks, tactics, manipulation, scarcity, or games – prospects want what you are offering. It becomes more about them wanting to follow you (buy your product, sign up for your service, be a part of your movement/idea).
Taking the above bullet list of leadership traits, here is how that looks in a sales role:
- Clear vision: You know how your product/service will help improve the lives of the ideal customer. You understand the value. You know what type of change you could make in the world.
People following you: Your prospects will see the value of what you offer in their life, and be asking you “how can I buy?” and “where do I sign up?” It’s not that you are only taking the easy sales, its that you are truly inspiring your prospects to become customers. - Confidence: People crave working with someone who is authentic and professional. They fear dealing with a salesperson that has only their own benefits in mind. The more you can exude confidence as a sales professional, from a leadership position with positive intentions, the more prospect’s will trust you and your mission.
This framework and mindset shift can apply to selling life-changing motivational coaching, helping people buy a house, or even selling a set of knives. It is about persuasion through leadership over a classic sales manipulation approach. There is a way that product or service can be of value to the right customer.
Unfortunately, most people in sales roles do not view their job in terms of prospect leadership. They think in traditional sales terms. They were taught that the key to sales success is using closing lines, strategies, traps, NLP, and so on.
Selling From A Place Of Leadership …
When you lead your prospects instead of trying to sell them, all those other strategies become less necessary for effectiveness at a high level.
Always remember where you are leading your prospects: across the finish line. What does that look like? It depends on your product/service, but the goal is for them to be in an improved place in their life or business. Success is when they are better off as a result of buying from you.
That is the goal all leaders should have for those that are following them. Whether it is into battle, up a mountain, to change the world, or spend money with you.
