The Sales Experiment

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Why Gratitude is Important in Sales

Gratitude Gives Us an Abundance Mindset

When we are full of gratitude, we are full in general and we believe the world is full.

When we are not thankful and do not see the good gifts around us, we are fearful that what we do have will be taken from us and there are precious few morsels to go around. We’re like rats waiting outside the restaurant back door in hopes for a busted black garbage bag.

But practicing gratitude opens our eyes to possibilities, regardless of the area in life.

[Tweet “Practicing gratitude opens our eyes to possibilities”]

For sales professionals, this is especially true as prospects can smell desperation a mile away. If we are, in the words of Bill Caskey from the Advanced Selling Podcast, “detached from the outcome”, then we have a more open-handed approach to any of our sales relationships.

It is my humble but accurate opinion (apologies to Ben Settle for using his phrase, but when you power listen to a podcast, terminology finds its ways into ones psyche) that learning to walk in gratitude has a direct correlation to being detached from outcomes.

If there are any attachments to outcomes, it’s less about needing the sale from a fearful, panicky mindset and more about feeling strongly about the change you can bring about in your potential client’s organization.

In other words, you might want the sale, but you want it out of a desire to create value more than a desire to grab value from the prospect.

So… Gratitude

  • What are you thankful for?
  • What individuals make your life sweeter?
  • What hobbies do you live for?
  • How about your spiritual life? Are you thankful for any life change you’ve experienced?
  • Are you thankful for where you live, who you live with, or your friends?

Consider reviewing James Altucher’s mental discipline of coming up with 10 ideas a day, but do it for the next 10 days, listing out 10 things you’re grateful for each day. Don’t repeat. That would give you 100 things you’re thankful for.

Here’s a short list from my world…

  • My wife
  • My kids
  • The Bible
  • My job
  • Long time friends from college and graduate school
  • My failures
  • My faith
  • Writing
  • My parents
  • The opportunity to work with nonprofits in my sales position

Now you… What are you grateful for?

This post is part of the free 10 Days to a Better Blog online workshop. You can click here to read more about it.

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Don’t Criticize, Condemn or Complain

So goes Principle 1 from How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

I’ve never read the book and decided it might be a good way to start 2015. Classics are classics for good reasons, and it’s always easy to see why within just a few pages.

Why Criticism is Counterproductive 

Criticism often creates self-defense. Most individuals feel as if they really never do anything all that wrong or have much to learn.

Consequently, if you point out someone’s glaring lapse in judgment, wisdom, or character, he seldom says, “Why thank you for pointing out my blind spot. It is duly noted, and I shall make haste to improve.”

Nope.

Normally, there’s a bristling and a bit of the fight or flight mechanism kicks in. The individual shuts down and goes to talk about you behind your back, or verbally counter-attacks.

The communication shuts down and nothing improves.

Isn’t Honesty the Best Policy?

Honesty’s one thing. Our attitude and choice of words and tone are completely different.

Halfway through reading the chapter, my 6 year old son came to me to admit to pulling the towel holder off the wall in one of our restrooms. He started with an, “It was an accident. You’re going to be mad.” (This preface stung a bit, admittedly).

Then he told me what happened.

Luckily, reading this book, I considered my options:

  1. I could assume he was not being careful.
  2. I could assume that the screw had worn loose and it could have happened to anybody.

I chose option 2 (after all, I’d felt it had worn loose and failed to tighten it).  I thanked him for telling me promptly because not telling me might have bristled me a bit.

He gave me a hug and told me where he put the holder so I could fix it. Boys will be boys. We shouldn’t expect stuff like this never to happen (a point driven home by Carnegie’s inclusion of A Father Forgets at the end of his first chapter)

Hopefully, the way I handled this will lay the groundwork for more prompt notifications when other similar accidents happen. And more importantly, hopefully it will be part of my developing a habit of using measured words, and calm tones in all of my communications.

What Does This Have to Do with Sales? 

Sales is all about relationships: within the sales organization, with prospects, with current clients, with vendors, with networking resources.

Developing a habit of thinking the best of each person will always lower the temperature in the room and encourage others to rise to those expectations.

If (a) it doesn’t lower the temperature with some people and (b) it doesn’t encourage everyone to up their interpersonal games, but (c) makes others assume you’re a doormat, then (d) that person doesn’t belong in your pipeline.

[Tweet “Life is too short to work with people we don’t get along with.”]

Our job is to make it as easy as possible to get along with us. Not complaining, criticizing, and condemning are great places to start.

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Some other notes from today’s reading of How to Win Friends & Influence People (Preface, Opening, Chapter 1)…

“I will speak ill of no man, and speak all the good I know of everybody” – Benjamin Franklin

In the opening section “Nine Suggestions on How to Get the Most Out of this Book”, I loved the suggestion to repeated readings. Some books should be on the ‘annual reading list’.

Another good suggestion was to keep a daily log of appointments and interactions. Review these on a weekly basis with an eye toward honest assessment: Where did we drop the interpersonal ball? What did we do well?

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Why The Sales Experiment Exists

I’m going to take a break from the Dan Miller Challenge and respond to Day 4 of Jeff Goins Intentional Blogging Challenge –

The English Major Youth Pastor Turns Salesman

I was an English major in college. After college, I worked for 2 years as an urban missions coordinator for a small intown Atlanta church.

My next five years were spent earning a Master of Divinity (sort of like an MBA in the church world) and went on to work as a youth pastor for a couple years.

Through a series of events, I landed in the insurance world as a producer in 2004. A ‘producer’ is another name for an insurance agent which is another term for insurance salesperson.

Needless to say, I had no background in sales. More accurately, I never sold anything before, nor had I ever wanted to sell anything. I was like Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything:

 

Little did I know that I actually had a background in skills that would benefit a sales career.

It took me a good few years to settle in as a salesperson.

The first step might sound strange: I had to come to grips with the idea of being a salesperson.  Even seasoned salespeople shirk the title for ‘trusted advisor’ or ‘consultant’ or something else that doesn’t include the word ‘sales’ in it.

The second step was understanding and implementing basic sales habits: making calls, networking, learning how to present and handle objections, and asking for the sale. Most small businesses don’t have formal training programs, so it took me a good bit to cobble together a sales process that works for me.

The final step has been to incorporate my natural skills and gifts and interests into my sales process. While it’s tempting to try to fit the mold of stereotypical successful salesperson, it’s important to find ones own voice as a salesperson. My education, experience in ministry, and talents and gifts should all be incorporated into the way I approach creating value for my clients and coworkers.

I’m still working through these three steps:

1. Strengthening a high view of the sales profession

2. Honing and developing sales skills

3. Working on finding my sales voice.

All professions require continual growth, study, and practice. Sales is no different.

Sales Experiment is for Salespeople (including myself) Who Want to Find Their Sales Voice

I set up this site as a place to curate some of the best sales and marketing strategies, tactics, and philosophies that are bouncing around out there. I’m also using it as a way to sharpen and develop my own sales voice.

Hopefully, in the process, I can help you find yours or at least connect you with resources that might help you on your journey.

Sales is honorable. Selling things that people need in a way that creates value for them is one of the best ways to help others and make a living there is.

The fun part is that one size does not fit all.  There’s not a certain personality type or a certain approach that makes a salesperson successful. Experiment.Solve Problems. Create value. Find your sales voice.

 

 

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