“Sales”: Close to Being a 4-letter Word
by: Charles Black, CEO
Let’s face it. No one likes to be sold. Selling is hard, uncomfortable, and often counterproductive for both parties.
Teaching is the opposite. As Ever Garrison once said, “A teacher is a compass that activates the magnets of curiosity, knowledge, and wisdom in the pupils.”
When you teach someone something that is both new and valuable, a connection, almost a bond of some sort, begins to take shape. You can actually watch it happen in real time. Their heads lift, their eyes light up, and they “come to life” before you – something that was once a daily grind becomes interesting and new again.
You know the connection is beginning to form when they say something like, “Well, now you’ve really got my wheels turning.” And when they finally truly get it; when that union between both their needs and desires begins to solidify, something magical happens. They actually begin to see their world through a different lens.
They say things like, “I have been in this industry for a long time, but I’ve never seen anything like this – this is really cool.” Then, they want to apply what they have just learned and ask, “What do you need to know about us and what do you need to get started?”
And finally, they want to teach others, both inside and outside their organization. They often say, “Hey, I’ve got a friend who could really use this. I’m going to reach out them later today.”
We are all curious human beings. Most aspirational, driven people still love to learn. They yearn to be a student of new, interesting things. And if those new things can help take them to the place they have dreamed of going to – organizationally, professionally, personally – they will move mountains to make it happen.
So teach, don’t sell! By teaching others, you are helping them to achieve their goals, and in turn, you will easily achieve your own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charles has a passion for helping clients become more strategic. With vast expertise in the Healthcare, Financial Services, Retail, Oil & Gas, and Wholesale industries, Charles has partnered with hundreds of organizations to leverage the power of data and analytics to create innovative business and real estate strategies that transform portfolios and enable core business success.
For more information, please contact: charles.black@restrategies.com