And you know what so are buyers, customers, clients, prospects regardless of the term you wish to use.
Whatever side of the table you’re sitting on - buyer or seller - we currently exist more as combatants than as collaborators much of the time and the results well, I’m sure every one of you reading this has story after story about the seemingly counterproductive things buyers do, the hoops you have to jump through, the barriers you have to jump over and the ever increasing amount of work needed at eroding margins to even participate let alone win.
And you can just imagine the conversations on the client side of the table, tales about pushy sales people, proposals that don’t seem to address their issues, how prices, fees, rates are way too high and what a great job they did to net a 20/30/40% discount but how ultimately the solution they paid for didn’t solve their problem.
I apologise to those of you who are true professionals but in many ways sales has become a dysfunctional profession.
Even mentioning the word sales in some circles can cause the hairs on the back of necks to stand up! People get this picture in their minds of the stereotypical sales guy.You know, the fast walking, slick talking guy who works the crowd at networking events.
They backhand, glad-hand, slap hand, shake hands. They stick a business card into the face of everybody they meet and say clever things like, “Hey, give me a call, I’ll cut you a deal”.
There’s a reason people have such a negative view, most of us look at sales backward. We see it as an effort to get something from others, when the truth is that sales at its best, that is at its most effective - is precisely the opposite: it is about giving.
But that not the way sales is typically taught. Most have learned sales as a set of specific skills reinforced by a range of techniques aimed at putting your products or services into someone else’s hands and their dollars into your pocket.
All you have to do (so the idea goes) is thoroughly learn and carefully practice everything in the sales person’s bag of tricks and you too will become a sales success! At least that’s the theory. But often is doesn’t work out that way.
The reality is that years of dysfunctional selling practices have created the dysfunctional buying practices we all now have to contend with.
We have taught buyers that our price isn’t our price and they would be stupid if they didn’t beat us up.
We have taught buyers that we will guess about what’s going on inside their organisations, that we will make assumptions, we will accept what they tell us without challenge or qualification, we won’t listen, we won’t or can’t take the time to talk to the right people, that we’re more focused on making the sale than we are on their needs and that we willpropose solutions even though we don’t fully understand their issues or their business.
This isn’t happening in a vacuum, the market is changing, the world is a smaller place, we have more not less competition, buying behaviours have changed, perceptions of value have changed, entire markets are being disrupted and the pace of change, of business, of life is only getting faster!
In the competitive world of business, there have always been “go-getters” who are willing to work harder and faster and sacrifice more in order to succeed. While that, by itself, can be a good thing, it is also easy to fall into the trap of being self-focused and self-serving.
Taking care of “number 1” may seem to be the surest way to success, but there is another way ... one that is not only more effective, but more fulfilling as well.
In the international best seller The Go-Giver: A Little Story About A Powerful Business Idea our founder Bob Burg and his co-author John David Mann present a business parable that has inspired hundreds of thousands of professional worldwide.
Its core message: shifting our focus from getting to giving and putting the other person first is the key to business success and personal fulfilment.
“But isn’t that a bit naive?” wonders Joe, the young man whose quest for success drives the narrative. Great question. As his mentor, Pindar, replies: “Most people just laugh when they hear that the secret to success is giving. Then again, most people are nowhere near as successful as they wish they were.”
Pindar introduces Joe to a series of ‘go-givers’: a restaurateur, a CEO, a financial adviser, a real estate broker, and the “Connector,” who brought them all together. Pindar’s friends help him rethink everything he always assumed about business. Joe learns the ‘Five Laws of Stratospheric Success’ that guide his transformation from struggle to abundance.
The five laws of success:
1. The Law of Value: Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment
2. The Law of Compensation: Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them
3. The Law of Influence: Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first
4. The Law of Authenticity: The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself
5. The Law of Receptivity: The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving
The Five Laws at the heart of The Go-Giver approach provide a powerful framework of core principles. They represent a refreshingly open and authentic approach to selling that is contrary to the way most have come to see sales.
People, companies, organisations who embrace the principles of giving not only live happier and more fulfilled lives, they tend to be amongst the highest performing people and most valuable brands we know.
Now available in Australia for the first time, you and your employees can learn how thinking like a Go-Giver ultimately leads to greater success.
If you would like to know more, or if you would just like to get your hands on a copy of the book please feel free to contact us at info@thegogiverway.com.au or by telephone on (02) 9091 8047.
I also welcome your connections via LinkedIn http://au.linkedin.com/in/ianjlowe/.
Web: www.thegogiverway.com.au
