So much of the market’s push-back and rejection of salespeople is not of their own making.

History, Hollywood, popular myth, legends and prevailing humour about selling and salespeople are inextricably woven into the fabric of our society. Unfortunately the weave is coarse and tarnished. The image, the brand of salespeople and the selling profession that literally dates back to the dawn of time, is generally negative. Worse still, many salespeople and their employers blindly, if innocently perpetuate this sullied image by selling like old-school salesmen … the very selling model prospective buyers dislike the most.

The profession’s stubborn reluctance to evolve to a sophisticated selling model the marketplace can respond to positively, hurts both buyer and seller alike. The dated buyer/seller dance of pursue and evade, parry and thrust, wastes literally billions of dollars each year in non-productive, irretrievable time … weakening our economy and most companies blissfully achieving well below their true potential. The selling profession has endured society’s disdain far too long. Why would any profession continue to conduct itself  in a manner that has traditionally and historically attracted ridicule? There is a selling model both buyer and seller can enjoy.

Evolved selling:

  • replaces sales pitches with interviews;
  • banishes the intrusive walk-in cold call in favour of social and social media introductions;
  • replaces blind pursuit of prospects with  ‘prospect-qualification’;
  • introduces shared logic and mutual benefit to replace the obligatory ‘close’.

Evolved selling:

  • motivates and invigorates salespeople;
  • inspires confidence and optimism;
  • saves time/shortens sell-cycles;
  • reduces costs of selling;
  • sells more, sells faster and easier;
  • increases sales employee loyalty;
  • reduces absenteeism and procrastination;
  • keeps customers satisfied/reduces competitor encroachment:
  • earn’s the market’s and society’s respect and admiration.

Today’s buyers are more likely to do business with salespeople who have traded in their hunter-gatherer-presenter skill sets for evolved, objective, efficient and accurate ‘qualifier and interviewer’ skill sets … skills worthy of respect and admiration.

Buyers want to be made aware of their options, but on their terms. They do not want to be fast-tracked into sales presentation meetings. In fact they have little patience for the old days of tell and sell. They prefer to be interviewed and understood in the context of the products or services offered. They would rather ask questions, get answers and come to a timely and mutually beneficial conclusion. And finally, buyers would rather respect and admire the salespeople they are about to do business with. Evolved selling engenders respect and admiration … two words rarely associated with sales, selling and salespeople … until now.