A guest post by Mark Trinkle, President & Chief Sales Officer
Should your days or evenings include any down time, here is a great book recommendation for you.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading “Go-Givers Sell More” by Bob Burg and John David Mann. I just don’t think I have ever read a book that is more consistent with the approach to selling that we both take and advocate to our clients, particularly along the lines of not sounding like a salesperson.
Listen to this quote from the book on the supreme importance of creating value:
“There is something quite utilitarian about the Law of Value. Its pragmatic beauty is that it places the principal determinant of your success squarely in your own hands, rather than letting it be a factor of your circumstances. While you cannot control what others do, you can control what you do. If your goal is to make the sale, then you are dependent on the buying decisions of others. But, if your goal is to create value for others, you are dependent on nobody but yourself.”
I also love the section of the book that teaches that your compensation as a salesperson is not a reflection of your goodness, worthiness, merit or industriousness: instead, it is an echo of impact. In fact, revenue (or, for our purposes, new business) is the echo of providing value in your conversations with prospects.
So, how about you? Do you worry about selling something? Maybe it would be helpful to simply worry about whether or not your prospect conversations are providing value. As the authors point out, that is up to no one but you.
So, give the book a try. Thanks for reading…now go sell like a champion today.
Summary: When your goal is to provide value, your success as a salesperson is in your own hands. The impact you make on others determines your compensation. So, worry less about selling and focus more on providing value.