A Modern Sales Manifesto

It's time to update the way you think about selling more

Regardless of industry or organization, we all want to sell more. It's not only how we grow our businesses but also how we take care of our families. This is why most blogs, articles, educational sessions, and tips that focus on "sales" as a topic place so much emphasis on some variation of working smarter, doing a bit more, or leading with solutions. To be clear, none of that advice is inherently wrong or incorrect. However, those suggestions tend to be obvious and one-dimensional.

Noted expert on sales and customer loyalty, Jeffrey Gitomer said it best: "People don't like to be sold, but they love to buy."

If that's the case, why do so many salespeople insist on pitching "solutions" that might not even begin to solve a real client problem? While it would be easy (and accurate) to argue people take that approach because that's how it's always been done – regardless of poor conversion rates. While that is part of the issue, it's missing something that's been ingrained in every person whose primary function is to drive revenue: the notion that sales reps sell things, and success in sales requires, well, hard-core selling. Twenty years ago, it could be argued that this was the correct approach, mainly because access to almost every nugget of information and every type of product wasn't a click away from being delivered in 48 hours. Today, however, your clients are more informed than ever before, and there is little, if any, exclusivity in the "solutions" you're able to offer.

Let me put it bluntly: if you want to sell more, start "selling" less by making the following changes:

Your Philosophy

The traditional view of selling maintains that sales is a baseline numbers game: more specifically, the more prospects in the pipeline and the more contacts made, the better. Again, there's a foundational truth in that, but there are far more significant numbers that better indicate success: conversion rates, average order size, and the cost of customer acquisition. To optimize conversion, it's time to realize that cold calling is dead. Your target audience is excessively well-informed and can access merchandise ideas, online reviews, and competitive offerings WHILE you are "pitching" them. Even further, cold-calling is ineffective because you're trying to sell something without first understanding if there is a want or need for what you're selling.

Instead, work from a smaller pool of higher-quality prospects than a large pool of poor conversion probabilities. The time you've wasted targeting everyone is far better spent on a focused set of prospects who will likely be open to a relationship and where the branded merchandise solutions you provide genuinely fit their needs. In other words, quality over quantity is a more thoughtful, more modern approach to sales and will speak directly to the hearts and minds of your target audience.

Your Approach

I often say – and I mean it – that sales is the noblest profession in the world because salespeople are in the business of helping others get what they want or need. Salespeople clear the path, remove friction, and enhance lives. Laugh if you wish, but I fervently believe this. As such, it's time to choose serving over selling. When you fine-tune your pipeline to connect with fewer but better prospects, you'll have time to find the right merchandise solutions that will ultimately help them achieve their goals and objectives.

To accomplish this, you only need to listen first and sell later. That pitch you learned in 2005 and have been using ever since? Lose it. Instead of showing them the latest product or decoration method, start a journey of discovery by listening empathetically to their needs – especially at the beginning of the expedition. Keep in mind that the ONLY OBJECTIVE of your initial conversation is to earn another meaningful discussion. Only then can you determine if you have the right merchandise solutions that fit your prospect's needs.

Your Results

Far too many salespeople feel that the work is complete once the sale is made. If you change your philosophy and approach, as outlined earlier, client acquisition costs will decrease while, at the same time, conversion rates, revenue, and margin will certainly increase. However, if you stop there, you're looking at the newly found client relationship in the absolutely wrong way, and you've almost guaranteed a path to client dissatisfaction and, ultimately, loss.

The work truly starts after you've made the sale. This is when you have the real opportunity to overdeliver on your commitments and become a true sales-servant leader by helping them get what they need to achieve their objectives. Doing so will allow you to begin forging a long-lasting partnership, earn brand loyalty, and, most importantly, build trust.

If you're comfortable continuing to embrace the status quo, then also get comfortable with mediocre results, low conversion rates, and disappointing prospects for the future. However, if you change your philosophy and approach by dumping the cold calls, losing the standard "pitch," and sincerely adopt an empathetic, client-centric brand focused on servant leadership, you'll gain everything you've ever wanted - and then some.

It's time to sell more by "selling" less.