The lack of relationships and human connection in sales is a pressing problem that explains the lack of trust people have toward salespeople. How can this issue be remedied and what can we do to raise the standards of sales? What is genuine purpose, and why is it a huge part of what can help us better align with customers? How do we put an end to robotic salespeople and start being driven by value?
On this episode, author of Selling From the Heart, Larry Levine, shares what people are getting wrong about sales, and the corrective measures we can take.
"When we bring our hearts and show that we’re here to help, good things happen. When we put the sale before the relationship, there will be inconsistencies all over the place." -Larry Levine
Transactional vs. Transformational relationships
If you open a relationship in a transactional manner, that whole relationship will be defined by that transaction. The only thing that can happen to that relationship is somebody coming along with a better transaction. It’s better to open in a transformational way because it will start as a relationship that will deepen.
Genuine purpose and how it impacts the sales
Genuine purpose is when you really have a heart for helping people and solving their problems. In a sales relationship most buyers come into it thinking they are just being sold something. When you come in with genuine purpose, it disarms them. If there’s a shared genuine purpose, that means there’s alignment— and if there’s alignment, a sale will take place.
Why the relationship funnel matters as much as the sales pipeline
Most salespeople are not taking the time to balance their sales funnel with their relationship funnel. The sales funnel is important, but so is the relationship funnel. You need to be having new conversations and constantly building new relationships as much as you focus on filling up your sales funnel.
If an individual can’t make it past your salespeople, they may never make it to the website or anything else that your company has to offer. So even if you have the best product, if that doesn’t come through your salespeople, no one will want to know or see more. Most customers can sense an insincere salesperson a mile away. They are looking for someone to help them identify a problem, identify what’s most important, and maximize the value they get out of the interaction. Any slip of that mindset will be picked up and will end the sale before it even begins. Take a step back, self-reflect, and decide to be a salesperson who puts their heart, not their wallet, first.
Guest Bio-
Larry is a sales expert, speaker and author of Selling From the Heart. He brings over 30 years of selling experience to the table. His heart for authenticity shows up in his relational sales strategies. Go to https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/ for more information.