The Real Definition of Sales

We've all heard it said of someone before, whether they were talking about themselves or someone they know. "He could sell ice to an eskimo!", suggesting they are the ultimate salesperson. That no matter the obstacles, they can make the sale. On the surface this sounds great, right? In your organization, you need top performers. You need those that can close the deal. Closing the deal is what brings in the revenue. But let's step back and take a look at what sales really is all about.

Sales is the process of leading a buyer to making a buying decision that is for their benefit.

Sales is first and foremost a process, not an event. But beyond that, it is about what's good for the customer, not what's good for the salesperson or the company. The second part of that definition of sales is the last three words - "for their benefit". Take a look at that common phrase we started with. If you're selling ice to an eskimo, or in other words getting someone to buy something they have no use for, then you're not a salesperson - you're a con artist. Sales is not about manipulation or convincing someone to buy something they don't want or need. It's about identifying the person's or organization's needs, helping them to also see that need, and leading them to a decision that will help them fulfill that need. It's about creating solutions for the customer, not about notching another order at someone else's expense.

Sure, you can probably get away with the former version of "sales" for a while. You might even do very well. You may be taking that approach right now and think I'm full of it. But eventually your funnel of business will run dry, because now you're looking for the next "victim" as you leave a trail of destruction behind you, instead of building something long-term by providing a service that people will remember, repeat and refer. The short cut version is short lived. The longer, building brick-by-brick version is the sustainable path. People appreciate and remember someone who helps them through the entire sales process and isn't just looking for a signature on the order form.

Invest in yourself to increase your knowledge and your ability to negotiate and persuade others to make a decision that is the right choice for them. Sales is a skill, and you can learn and improve upon it daily. Take the longer - but also longer-term - path of providing value and being a salesperson of integrity. You won't regret it, and you will reap huge rewards in not only your business, but in the relationships you create along the way.


--If you haven't read Zig Ziglar's "Secrets of Closing the Sale", it's a must ready for anyone in sales of any kind and has a ton of examples and techniques for honing your skills as a salesperson with this same perspective of serving first, identifying needs and leading to a decision that's good for the buyer. See the "Success Resources" tab and pick up a copy today. $10 is nothing to invest with all the wealth of knowledge in that book--

REI Has it Right

Close your stores on one of the biggest shopping days of the year? That's what REI has done on Black Friday, and it has people talking. Their #Optoutside campaign is definitely not consistent with our over consumerism in America, and here's why I think it will be a big win for the company.

Doing something counter-culture creates buzz. Obviously they've gotten a lot of publicity for doing something unexpected, and what some people think would be crazy because of the perceived negative results to the bottom line. We all know job #1 of marketing is to make sure people are talking about you.

Values before dollars. REI is an outdoors store, and promoting going outside vs spending the day in shopping malls is consistent with what they're trying to do. Remember, as Mr. Sinek would say, people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Any time you do something that holds to your values, even if at face value it appears to be counter productive to benefiting the business, will ultimately lead to the benefit of the company anyway. Values before dollars, and the dollars will come as a result, and to a higher level than if you were to compromise on those values. Consumers are too smart and savvy; if you compromise once, you'll lose credibility and you may not be given the chance to make it back up.

Online shopping keeps the sales coming in. Thanks to our wonderful technology, they'll still rake in the sales as a huge percentage of people do their shopping online anyway. After all, why go out in public and risk a fist fight with the crazy guy trying to save $100 on a tv when you can do all your shopping online in your kitchen while drinking your morning coffee?

I predict a big spike for REI. They won't lose many, if any, sales on Black Friday since their site is still up and taking sales, and the publicity and values statements they made will just create more sales and more faithful customers. Good work REI!

Encouraging Others - The Power of Words

I had an interaction at the end of the day today that really opened up my eyes to the power of encouragement. I work in a sales environment, and there is a group of newer sales agents that have been on the phones for only a couple of weeks. They are going through the normal learning curve you'd expect for anyone new on the phones or to a certain type of sales. About a week or so ago I started talking to them more and just throwing out statements to them to like "you'll get one today, I can feel it" or complementing them on a particular thing they said well. Keep in mind also I'm not their trainer or anyone "above" them. I'm one of them; a fellow sales agent. I was talking to one of them at the end of the day today, and over the last several days he had gotten a sale every day after having a period of not getting any. I was giving him congrats, and he made a comment back to me giving me credit for them. I was thrown off a bit and asked him how so. He brought it back to the encouragement he had heard from me, that it had helped him to be able to make those sales. Now, I'm not taking any credit for the sales that he made; and I'm not saying he gave me all the credit. He was the one on the phone that closed the sale. But somehow my words of encouragement, my consistent reminder that he had what it took to make it happen, had had an effect on him and, as he saw it, was at least part of the reason he has had a streak of sales.

Encouraging words go a long way in building people up. It's easy to get down, especially in a sales position where you face constant rejection. Whether you are a leader by title or a fellow co-worker, be encouraging to those around you. You never know what kind of an impact you may have.