Brilliant: Selling is not just about having great salespeople with great sales skills

Posted on June 8, 2008 by Karl Goldfield.
Categories: Brilliant, Sales Process.

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”We live in a cynical world today, with everyone’s BS detector constantly set on max. And it doesn’t matter how many body language or NLP courses you’ve been on; if you aren’t being sincere – if you don’t really believe in your products with a passion; then your customers will pick this up in an instant.”

This is a quote from an old post by Ian Brodie at Sales Excellence. The post shares important truths about the necessity to believe in what you sell if you want to achieve greatness. He references some of Churchill’s brilliance, and shares some of his own. Ian really shows us that it is equally important to transfer emotion as it is to understand a process. Read the entire post HERE.

Next, Chris Whyatt at his blog has started to share with us his new training program titled SalesMAP. It is a great program that encourages the sales team to build objectives based on what the company sees as a priority. The trainers in essence are merely facilitators. A large part of the focus is on sales operations, and how better process and support can boost sales effectiveness. You can read the entire post HERE.

What both of these posts are a part of is the growing concern in the sales training and leadership community with changing the opinion of what a sales person and the sales org mean to a company. We are not the maverick, “do anything for a buck”, devils of folklore. We are caring individuals who want to make a difference with our clients and our companies. We want to support and be supported. See us this way and change the views that hurt sales.

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2 comments.

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Colin Wilson

Comment on June 12th, 2008.

Karl,

Your comments in your opening paragraph are spot on. Three words sum up the phenomenon of easily detecting level of sincerity, belief and passion… Behaviour Follows Intention… that’s it, a powerful 3 word combination.

Whatever your intention it will come out in your behavior… your intention will seep out from every message you are trying to deliver and the other person will pick up on it. So, if you don’t believe, it will come out in your behavior. If you are not sincere, it will come out in your behavior…

… and a final thought… if you believe you can’t win, it will come out in your behavior… and who want’s to buy from a loser!

Jag

Comment on July 30th, 2008.

Hi Karl,

Being sincere is a critical aspect of good salesmanship. Yes the objective is to sell. But a good salesman will do so in the spirit of helping the customer. That the product will add value to them, fulfil a need/want or solve a problem.

There are many that come across like a snake oil salesmen. They may be good in talking but as you put it, it raises the BS detector of many.

Very good point you raise here. Keep it coming, Karl!

Cheers,
Jag