Be Authentic to Do More Deals

I’m in Dallas this week working with entrepreneurial companies that sell lots and lots of computer systems. I always learn so much from people who really make a difference for their customers.

One big thing I saw: the people who do the most business are completely authentic. They are who they are and they never apologize for it. Their customers appreciate their personality and authenticity, which become key competitive differentiators.

Read on to tap into your authentic self to do more deals.

Use Sales Techniques that Make You Feel Good

Authenticity means always doing the right thing. Period. When I talk with frustrated young sales people, I ask if they use sales techniques that they think are lame. The answer is almost always, “Yes!” They were trained on tactics that are manipulative and phony because they felt clever and seemed like they would work.

My response: stop using those techniques. It’s not authentic. Your prospects sense it and they reject you because of that. Your frustration comes from not being true to yourself and therefore not being true to your customer.
Customers buy from people who they know, like, and trust. You can only have a lasting relationship with someone who trusts you. And that only happens when you feel good about yourself.

If you can’t trust you, how can others trust you?

When You’re Genuine, Your Products are Genuine

Think about it: when a sales person feels fake, you can’t trust their products. Everyone has been burned by buying the wrong product or a cheap imitation of the real deal so they’re on the look out for fakes. An insincere sales technique tarnishes your good products and ruins your reputation.

You sell to savvy, experienced buyers with a well-tuned BS detector. When a fake triggers their BSD, they disconnect ASAP.

Instead, be your charming self and take genuine interest in your prospects so that you can connect them with the products that make a difference. That’s authentic sales!

Never Sacrifice the Relationship for the Sale

Unfortunately, there are many examples in movies and TV of where closing the sale takes precedence over developing a customer relationship — Wolf of Wall Street and Glengarry Glen Ross for example. This may be effective when all you want is a single transaction. But this approach isn’t scalable, turns customers into enemies, doesn’t create a valuable brand, and burns out good people who sacrifice their soul for a sale.

Sales professionals that I work with aspire to become a trusted advisor, the first one called when in need. That status is earned by nurturing a relationship, never from a transaction.

If what you’re selling isn’t right, save the relationship. Just say, “Based on what you’ve told me so far, I don’t think I can help you right now, what should we do next?”

You’ll make a sale another day. You’ll feel better, sell more, and create loyal customers who refer you tons of business.

Authenticity really matters when you’re making cold calls. Learn to do cold calling right in a complimentary one-hour on-line event based on my book, “Guerrilla TeleSelling” co-authored with Jay Conrad Levinson. Join me on Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 3:00 PM PDT, 6:00 PM EDT. Click to sign up now, space limited to 100 people.

Be the real you!

Mark S A Smith

P.S. I’ve created an on-line training session that goes much deeper into creating value by automating the customer acquisition process without cold calling. Sign up here to take the class as my guest.