the psychology of sales

Many traditional sales training companies have made their millions focusing on the process of sales. On the contrary, the best way to unleash a salesperson’s true potential is to focus on the psychology of sales first. When psychology is mastered, then and only then, does process matter. We have spent a good bit of time over the past decade discussing this topic. Because it is so critical to the success of sales organizations and because I am still perplexed and amazed at how few in sales understand this concept, I thought it would be a good opportunity to revisit.

Let’s dig a little deeper. Sales is ultimately about results, wouldn’t you agree? Good. But there are many different kinds of results that one can achieve, so let’s talk about two simple types of results. The first is results that are sustainable and last through the test of time. The other is results that are attainable, but fade with time. Companies will pay big money to send employees through sales training, yet too often their happiness with the initial spike in results erodes when those results are not sustained through time.

So what then differentiates a sales training that yields sustainable results versus merely attainable results? If you said training that is focused on the sales mindset, you are right. Very simply, training that focuses on the sales mindset first and keeps with basic principles will generate sustainable results. Complex training is useless unless it can be understood and remembered. Socrates said, “Learning is remembering.” How many of you can recall coming out of training and feeling like you learned some pretty cool stuff? You learned some trendy new acronyms, some one-liners to use when overcoming objections, a step by step process to achieve closing. Now, how many of you can remember what those acronyms are today? Who remembers what those one-liners were? And who can remember in order all the steps of that “scientific” process to close the deal? AHAH! My point exactly. You were trained on process and formulas, but your mindset never changed. After three weeks most of you reverted back to old habits and were right back to being that same sales professional who entered the training.

So, stop and think about it for a moment. What part of the Paredo Principle (the 80/20 rule) do you fit into? Are you part of the twenty percent of people who achieve eighty percent of your company’s results? Why would you still be as successful if you changed companies and sold something completely different? The answer is because you have something that the eighty percentors don’t have. You possess the better sales mindset. We all have a variety of mindsets that we go through every day; but each of us has a prevailing mindset about our sales ability. The top 20 percentors simply believe they can sell anything. They have a superior mindset to the rest of the pack—the 80 percentors.

Mindset will always trump process over the long haul. With the proper mindset, any system, process or technique can yield outstanding results. The evidence is in the fact that the same people who are in the top twenty percent of one company continue to stay in that bracket when they switch companies and learn new techniques. Their process and techniques change. Their mindset stays the same. I am in no way discounting the need for an effective sales process. A process is critical once it has the foundation of a superior sales mindset.

So why aren’t all sales training companies or mangement consulting firms focusing on psychology first training? Why isn’t it talked about more often? Simply put, it’s just not as pretty. It’s too simple. It’s plain. We are in a society that believes in a quick fix; a society that wants a roadmap and process for everything we do. Psychology first training embraces the notion that sales is an art, not a science. It forces a sales person to look squarely in the mirror and admit that his or her results are solely dependent on who is looking back at them. The second reason we see so few organizations giving anything but lip service to the psychology of sales, is that it is more difficult to effectively train. Anyone can regurgitate a new technique or a new process that will temporarily increase results. But changing a mindset and creating new habits is a much more sophisticated, yet rewarding journey. And at the end of the journey all companies want—sustainable results that lead to serious profitability.

Be Your Best,

Joe

When you can recognize the difference, you can turn one-off relationships into long-term clients and trusted advisors…

What people think they want vs what they need, right?

How could we possibly presume to know what our clients need, even above what they think they need and what they say they need?

We know because we ask – and we listen – DUH!

There are means needs and there are ends needs. Means needs surface in companies as problems that need to be solved. These problems can be either tactical or strategic, but if you’re focused on solving means needs, you’ll find yourself “closing deals” rather than “enrolling clients.”

If you go into your prospect’s office and accept what he or she has represented to be “the problem,” and you close the deal by solving the problem, then the door closes behind you when you leave. You’re going to have to open it again to get the next deal done, and that’s if someone else doesn’t get there before you to ask, “What’s next?” See, in this situation, with this mindset, your solution was a means to an end (or a step toward an outcome) of which you may not have even been aware.

Again, means needs are about solving tactical and strategic problems. Ends needs are about helping organizations achieve their missions and reach their goals. Now which would you rather your solution be associated with? The ends need, of course. And so would the client.

People are much more emotionally connected to their ends need (mission and goals) than their means need (the immediate problem) – and much more connected to you when you are helping them reach their ends need and achieve their outcomes. Demonstrate to them that you understand their outcome and provide a solution that helps them reach it, and you’re a partner. Close them on the first problem they were willing to reveal and you’re a vendor.

The first need that a prospect reveals is almost always a means need and hardly ever the only need for three reasons:

1. The prospect doesn’t know what the ends need is.

2. The prospect is not ready to reveal the ends need b/c you have not built enough trust.

3. You have not asked the right questions.

Your mission is to find out what the prospect really needs versus what he or she thinks and says the need is. Your mission is to discover the need and help the prospect achieve the mission. Your goal is to help the prospect achieve his or her goals.

Are you ready to Revolutionize Your Sales?

Joe

The 28 variables of Sales Growth:

1)     Sales Strategy

2)     Customer Gradation

3)     Account Planning

4)     Client Experience Defined

5)     Strategic Account Planning

6)     Lead Generation Program

7)     Sales Talent

8)     Sales Productivity

9)     Hiring

10)   Sales Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

11)   Sales Management

12)   Training

13)   Self-Directed

14)   Sales Structure

15)   Sales Process

16)   CRM

17)   Accountability

18)   Business Metrics

19)   Compensation Plan

20)   Communication Schedule

21)   Reporting

22)   Environment

23)   Culture

24)   Career Path

25)   Communication

26)   Morale

27)   Teaming

28)   Trust Quotient (TQ)

More later on what to do with them… but one question: are you YOUR best with them all yet?

Joe