#387: From Playtime to Payday: The Art of Persuasion
The ability to get things done by others is both salesmanship and leadership.
When my son was a lot younger, I had difficulty getting him to put his toys away. I would continue to tell him repeatedly to put his trucks away and take his ball back to his room, and just about everything I could think of short of bribing him didn’t work. Then, one day, I asked him if he wanted to roll his ball back to his room or bounce it back. He said he wanted to roll it back, and away it went. Taking that thought process further, I had difficulties getting him to stop his activities in time to take a bath at night. I asked him how fast he thought he could get it done, and we made a contest out of it. We got showers down to less than a minute! And he felt that he was winning a race!
Leadership is getting others to do something you want done AND making them feel they wanted to do this all along!
So, what do salespeople do?
Salespeople convince both our internal & external customers to do things we want to provide a win-win situation between those two parties. We lead the process so that others feel they want to purchase or provide that service. We do so with every good and ethical intention, knowing everyone will be better off.
Just like my son was cleaner after racing into the shower and out again, he won the race, and I had a clean child. So, when you are in the sales process, are you convincing people that it’s the right thing to do? Or are you forcing the sale with hard closes and take-it-or-leave-it scenarios?
What is the incentive to get something done? As it was when you were a child and your parents told you to do something without any options. If you respect the process, and respect your prospects, give them the options that provide the win-win you are looking for.
If you are having sales or leadership issues, maybe some coaching can help. Connect with us at the Kole Performance Group for a free, 30-minute consultation.