“Digital has revolutionized sales,” “the sales profession is no longer the same,” “adapt or die.” Have you heard that somewhere before? Naturally, this is the prevailing discourse in sales organizations today. Rest assured, even in a context of constant acceleration and upheaval, some things will never change. Here are the 5 timeless rules of sales that will ensure your sales performance.
The 5 pillars of sales follow a very simple pattern:
P.A.S.S.I.O.N
- Prospecting
- Attention (Listening)
- Advisory Skills
- Radiant
- Introspection
- Organization
- Drive
Prospecting
Although the way of prospecting may have evolved, it remains the undisputed foundation of sales. A good salesperson is always capable of doing their own prospecting, even within a marketing lead generation framework. And prospecting is not an easy task: it requires theory and a lot of experience to prospect effectively – that is, reaching the right people, at the right time, with the right sales arguments.
Attention or Listening
Do you have more of an image of a talkative salesperson in mind? Well, a salesperson listens at least as much as they talk, and often more. Indeed, how can one understand a prospect’s challenges without first listening to them (sometimes for hours, these prospects are talkative) on the phone or in a meeting? A good salesperson is one who successfully uses their empathy to direct unwavering attention towards the client in order to grasp their challenges: it’s not only active listening, but above all the ability to make their interlocutor feel valued, that they are receiving their full attention. Building trust means knowing how to listen and respond at the right time.
Advisory Skills
This is where the ability to intervene comes into play. Although it is said that the sales function has greatly evolved into a consulting role, this was already the case before. A salesperson is not a vendor or an executor; they are an expert whose advice has value. It is this added value that will make the difference when it comes to securing a contract. Positioning oneself as an advisor, a guide, means no longer looking at the prospect through the lens of sales but placing oneself on the same side as them: literally behind their shoulder to ‘support’ them through their buying journey.
Radiant
Why radiant? Because a good salesperson has charisma. Not necessarily the charisma of someone who automatically gets noticed upon entering a room, but the charisma of someone who is passionate, and whose passion is contagious. According to motivation specialist Simon Sinek, “people don’t buy your product for what it is but for what it represents.” They will buy your product because it’s you. You must be able to communicate your vision. A salesperson has the attributes of a great leader: inspiring trust and sharing enthusiasm – it’s partly for this reason that many business leaders or directors started out in sales.
Introspection
This is the least enjoyable part of being a salesperson, but the one that teaches them the most. Digital or not, a salesperson will always face failures – a project that doesn’t materialize, a prospect who doesn’t respond, unanswered or unreturned emails or calls. Introspection allows one to understand these rejections, integrate them, and turn them into positive experiences. What digital has changed is that with big data, the salesperson is now able to optimize their rejection rate: they know the best day and time to contact a prospect, how many times they should contact them; in short, valuable information can be gleaned from all these rejections.
Organization
It’s obvious, but it’s impossible to conduct a dozen meetings a week without being organized. Because afterwards, reports need to be made, the next step prepared; in short, it leaves little time for improvisation and procrastination. The autonomous and successful salesperson maintains a tight schedule: no success without discipline. Not to mention that in certain sectors (B2B in particular), the salesperson must understand the situation of each client/company, which therefore requires a long preparation time.
Drive
It’s complementary to charisma and passion: you need the drive to face potential rejections every day and continue to subject yourself to that; you need the drive to go sell your product every day. Let’s be honest, being a salesperson means loving the grind (but not too much either). Above all, it’s about having unwavering determination and absolute confidence in your ability to help people with the product you sell. And it’s not for everyone.
Sources: HBR and LinkedIn Pulse
10 things that will never change in sales
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