Salesmen do not live in a vacuum. Our success depends on the success of our clients, our company and our industry. As much as we can separate ourselves individually, no one will have success selling something that nobody can use, from a poor company, in a bad industry. Right Intentions or Right Thought speaks about the necessity of using our minds and firm determination, or resolve to free ourselves from ignorance, delusion, negativity and selfishness. Its asks us to purify our attitudes and thoughts – to become totally straightforward and honest with ourselves – and, in so doing, to develop a working loving-kindness, empathy, and compassion toward all. Many times we get caught up thinking about ourselves instead of the customer, trying to be the best in our organization and making our company grab the most market share and revenue to the detriment of our competition. This type of thinking is wrong since it assumes that there exists a scarcity of success and not an abundance. Right Thought and Right Intentions outlines an attitude that the best way to be successful and grow is to help everyone grow.
Freeing ourselves from selfishness means thinking about the customer/prospect and not ourselves. How many times do we concentrate so much on how we present, how our power point looks, what our value proposition is and not what the concerns and the needs of the customer? Right Thought is eliminating selfishness and concentrating on our environment. Concentrate on what the customer is saying, concentrate on the needs of the customer. Not the needs as we perceive them but the needs as they perceive them. The need may be the same but their worldview and perception of the problem is different than ours causing them to miss the value of the solution. Don't think about how the sale effects your life but rather how it effects their life from their point of view.
Right Intentions extends beyond the sales/customer relationship to your relationship with your company and your competitors. When we were children didn't we always want everyone to be happy? A child's is concerned when someone isn't. In today's hyper competitive world we can become more concerned about winning with the attitude that means someone else losing. We act in the best interest of the client so that our sales numbers are the best in the office. Our company wins the deal and we revel in the fact that our competition lost.
There is nothing wrong with winning and nothing wrong with being the best. That is what we all strive for. But lest we not forget that a rising tide lifts all ships. Right Thought and Right Intention is working cooperatively with everyone in your company to ensure everyone's success. It means helping fellow sales execs win their deals. Some companies don't let a sales exec go to a meeting with a customer until they have presented before the rest of the sales group. This collaborative effort is designed to share knowledge and help everyone prepare for their next win. Some would call this a continuous feedback loop.
Also, work with your competition to create a desirable market that everyone wants to participate in. This is exactly what conferences, industry advisory boards and trade associations are for. They all create a fertile garden so in which everyone can grow. Work with your competitors to create a market where everyone wants to buy.
Go so far as to help your competition. You know your strengths and your weaknesses. If you come across a business opportunity that may be better suited for another, pass along the lead. By doing good for others they may return the favor and pass along their lead that is more appropriate for you. At the end of the day the customer is best served in your industry and less motivation to seek alternative solutions. They will also tend to speak well to others about the value that services that your firm and your competitors provide.
We live in a world of abundance, not scarcity. We can win and they can win. Grow the pie. Have all of the prospects in your field have great experiences with your and your competition's solution so that the word spreads and the tide rises.
Turn the attitudes about winning and achieving upside down and inside out. It is in our best interest to be less selfish. Develop an unselfish view of the world because the reality is that we are all interconnected; our fates are intertwined. It takes an entire industry to grow a company and an entire company to grow a successful salesman.
This blog post was developed based on the book, “Awakening The Buddha Within” by Lama Surya Das. It can be found: http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Buddha-Within-Tibetan-Western/dp/0767901576
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