Reinventing How You Sell
Posted: October 25, 2009, 09:03 AM by Leslie Grossman
Recently I attended a workshop presented by Tony Smith, CEO of VSA Consulting Group,one of the best business coaches I've ever had. Tony had a tremendous impact in my growing my marketing communications company prior to my founding Women's Leadership Exchange. He also gave me the tools I needed to realize my dreams of impacting the growth of women-owned/led businesses which resulted in the creation of WLE.
If Tony is presenting, I never want to miss it. I always gain tremendous value. His presentation was entitled "Loving, Learning, and Mastering the Art of Selling." Tony asked us to first identify the attitudes and feelings we have about sales and what we think we already know about sales. Second, he suggested we think back to our past and identify our first memories of selling. While I'm happy to share my personal process in step one and two, I don't want to color your experience, by sharing mine in this blog. I would rather you go through this process yourself by writing down your thoughts.
After you've gone through the first two steps, take a look at what you've written down and think about how your past experiences and attitudes of selling shape your present attitude of sales. Tony points out that when most people come from their past, their present often doesn't work. Next, Tony brings us into the present and says to make a list of what occurs when selling is working for you. Identify what is happening when the selling process is good.
Now comes the really exciting part of this process. It's your choice to reinvent selling the way you want it to be. So before you read my reinvention, I suggest you write down yours. Fill in the blanks: Selling for me is ___________, ________, _________ and ____________. My new description of the selling process is: "Selling for me is easy and effortless, exciting and rewarding and a win-win for both parties." That statement makes me feel really good. And so I have reinvented selling for myself. And now, before I go through the selling process, which I do in many parts of my life, I remind myself of my new selling statement.
Give it a try and let us all know how you're doing!
And thanks, Tony, for another experience in successful transformation....
Leslie Grossman, Cofounder, Women's Leadership Exchange
Reader Comments
Posted: October 28, 2009, 02:22 PM by Phyllis Weiss Haserot
A very useful and stimulating post, Leslie. Thanks!
Selling for me is:
A reason to meet, learn about and develop relationships with new people
A reason to stay in touch with people I have grown to like
A path to creating positive outcomes for clients, and
A way to create value for both the client and me
Phyllis Weiss Haserot www.pdcounsel.com The Cross-Generational Voice
Posted: October 28, 2009, 02:22 PM by Phyllis Weiss Haserot
A very useful and stimulating post, Leslie. Thanks!
Selling for me is:
A reason to meet, learn about and develop relationships with new people
A reason to stay in touch with people I have grown to like
A path to creating positive outcomes for clients, and
A way to create value for both the client and me
Phyllis Weiss Haserot www.pdcounsel.com The Cross-Generational Voice
Posted: October 27, 2009, 09:11 AM by Anita Ancel
Thank you for those insights. Your affirmation is wonderful. So many people have a problem with the word sales, that I try to reframe or redefine what we do. Another way of describing the process is assisted buying. It puts us in the mindset of the person who is doing the buying with an intent to find the right fit for the that person's needs. Thanks again for sharing.
Posted: October 26, 2009, 10:21 AM by Debra Condren
Great post, Leslie. Thanks for the illuminating exercises. I'm thinking about this over morning coffee.
Posted: October 25, 2009, 10:46 PM by Lionel
Selling for me is adding value to the customer..
Posted: October 25, 2009, 12:16 PM by Joanie Winberg
Selling for me is building a relationship first. It also helps to know who is your ideal client.
Thanks for the helpful information.
Joanie
www.NADWC.org
