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Article Title:
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Be A Humble Equal Or Lose The Sale
Article Description:
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I remember two sales conversations I had with prospects, both of
them several years ago. One was "successful" and one was
"unsuccessful,
person didn't. But, ultimately both were unsuccessful. How can a
sale be unsuccessful?
Additional Article Information:
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980 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line
Distribution Date and Time: 2006-09-28 10:12:00
Written By: Mark Silver
Copyright: 2006
Contact Email: mailto:mail2@heartofbusine
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Be A Humble Equal Or Lose The Sale
Copyright (c) 2006 Mark Silver
Heart Of Business
http://www.heartofb
I remember two sales conversations I had with prospects, both of
them several years ago. One was "successful" and one was
"unsuccessful,
person didn't. But, ultimately both were unsuccessful. How can a
sale be unsuccessful?
When you make a sale to a new customer, whether it's for a $2000
service, or for a $15 product, you are beginning a new, and
deeper, relationship with the one who buys. And, successful
long-term relationships, which happen to be both the most
satisfying and the most profitable, can only happen between
equals.
My "unsuccessful" sale was easy to diagnose. I was in a needy
place- I "needed" them to buy because my eye was on the bottom
line- to put it frankly, I needed the money. And, obviously, they
ran far away.
First lesson: don't bring your neediness to your prospects. But,
when you are needy, how do you keep from doing that? Keep
reading.
Now, with my "successful" sale, I did everything right. I said
the right things, they liked what I said, we moved forward. Then
the fun began.
As we began working together, this client wasn't following
through with their commitments from our sessions. They had
trouble making decisions for themselves. They wanted my advice on
everything. It was not only exhausting for me, but as much as I
wanted to, I just couldn't deliver all of what they wanted.
Although I got paid, I felt depleted, and they felt unsatisfied.
What happened?
When I sat with the whole situation in my heart, I realized that
the roots went back to the sales conversation. I had positioned
myself as the "expert" who would take care of everything. And,
that's what happened....
In both situations, an unequal relationship had been set up-
either I was one up or one down, the prospect was either one down
or one up.
A sale is an agreement. And a healthy, sustainable, functioning
agreement can only happen between equals.
In order to reach a successful sale, where you and the person you
are selling to feel taken care of and happy, you must be equals.
On the face of it, this doesn't seem to make sense- your
prospect has a problem, and you have the solution. But, that's
only half the story. For anyone in business, it's really obvious
that you have a problem, too: Your business needs customers in
order to thrive. So, in any sale, you have two people with needs,
and two people with solutions to those needs. A meeting of
equals.
Now, hold on, we're going to get even a little bit more subtle
here. If you just see yourself as two people with needs serving
each other, it's very easy to get attached to any particular
prospect as the answer to your need. This is a common trap for
business owners. It's a little more rare for a customer to get
attached to a particular business as the solution to their need-
they just look elsewhere.
So, how do you acknowledge the need you have, stay confident in
offering your solution, and yet not get attached? Lots of people
talk about not being needy on your prospects, but when you are
needy, what then?
To be an equal, you need to acknowledge your own neediness, but
without making your prospect the source of your help. They are
only one possible channel. You also need to stand in your
confidence, but not by making the prospect smaller than you.
merely by acknowledging yourself as a potential channel for
delivering help.
The only way I've found to consistently catch this balance is to
find true humility. True humility is to bow to your prospect,
both in the strength of being of service to them, and in the
vulnerability of your need.
True humility is found in your heart. It is an incredibly
powerful place to stand, it is incredibly effective for your
sales process, and it feels great.
Actually, it feels more than great. It feels sacred.
Practical keys to How to be a Humble Equal... And Make the Sale
* The very first step is to acknowledge your own neediness. If
your business needs more sales in order to thrive, acknowledge
it. Drop the 'fake it 'til you make it' approach, and instead
be gentle and compassionate with your heart as you allow yourself
to feel needy for more money and more sales.
It probably feels terrible- that's okay, it's normal for it to
feel terrible. It helps to breathe into your heart and remember
that there is more available than you can see. Take the need out
of the hands of your prospective customer, and place it into the
hands of the Divine.
* The second step is to acknowledge what it's like to really
know your stuff. Whatever your product or service, you are
probably really good at it, despite any self-doubt you might
have. Using the Remembrance, or other heart-centering practice,
ask your heart to show you the reality of your expertise. My
experience is that when my heart shows me my expertise, it
doesn't inflate my ego, but brings me into an incredibly
powerful feeling of humility. Try it, you'll like it.
* The third step is to use your heart to see your prospective
customer as they really are, even before you have a conversation
with them. With your attention resting in your heart, ask to be
shown the truth of who your prospect is, of their heart, and what
they really need. Let yourself be willing to be surprised.
These simple steps may take some practice, but if you allow
yourself to slow down and go through them before your sales
conversations, you will find yourself in a space of just wanting
to serve, and, in the process, closing more sales.
My very best to you and your business,
Mark Silver
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Mark Silver is the author of Unveiling the Heart of Your
Business: How Money, Marketing and Sales can Deepen Your
Heart, Heal the World, and Still Add to Your Bottom Line.
He has helped hundreds of small business owners around
the globe succeed in business without losing their
hearts. Get three free chapters of the book online:
http://www.heartofb
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