The Age of the Introvert Salesperson

Sales has changed. You remember how it used to be, right? Waiting in the lobby for that big appointment. Impersonal boardroom meetings.  You sat across the table from each other; you didn’t tell him too much and he didn’t give you any clues as to what he was thinking.

You bantered and built trust through non-verbal communication techniques — the ones you read about in the sales book du jour.  Or maybe during a sales meeting, one of the more seasoned professionals imparted you with knowledge. “Pace your prospect,” he told you. “When he leans in, you lean in. When he crosses his arms, so do you.”

Your presentation skills involve walking the room, waving your hands, smiling, nodding, looking people straight in the eye. All this comes easy for you, doesn’t it? You are an extrovert.

Back in school, you were the center of attention.  You have no fear of attending parties by yourself. Peers, prospects, and colleagues consider you outgoing and engaging. You’re boisterous, lively, energetic, entertaining, maybe charming.

Friends and family have been telling you for years, “You’re such a people person, you should go into sales.” So one day, you took their advice and jumped into the sales profession.

Read the rest, here.

If Your Company Wants You to Work in The Office - Quit.

Updated June 21, 2021

"Getting back to normal" is the new mantra.  

True, people are sick of fearing Covid19 and want to get back to business. Also true is the undebatable fact that Covid forced you to work for home and you loved it.  While at home, your productivity went through the roof as middle management lost the traditional facilities of control.

You've proven yourself more productive. You are a Zoom Room king.  Heck, over the last 12 months, you've learned more things than in the past three years.

You're happier now, aren't you? No 10 hours a week commute.  You've reconnected with your kids and missed fewer dinners.

Above all, you helped the company get through the largest global catastrophe ever.   That's right.  You weren't "lucky" to have a job.  Your company was most fortunate to have YOU there.  Through all the challenges, changes, insecurities, and unknowns, you were loyal to the company.

And how does your company reward your loyalty?  

They tell you to "Come back in, but stay six feet apart, get tested, and get the jab...", drive back and forth, miss your kids' games, let your dog whine, remain in a frazzled state of mind, and go further into debt.  

Can We Get Rid of Quotas?

The selling profession after Covid19: 

"We have to start doing what was said we were doing but never did."

We're all talking about the "new" ways to sell.  

Covid19 is forcing galactic shifts in the way we do business; from the back-office to the sales trenches. What I find striking is the more we talk about what needs to be done in a post Covid19 sales engagement, the more we find the basic selling skills apply more than ever.

Here are a few of the concepts and skills presented over the decades regarding sales and selling:

• Build Trust
• Attract Like-Minded Prospects
• Consult
• Be the Trusted advisor
• Increase Your Business Acumen

The books, lectures, and classes of the past decades all told us to be more a consultant and experts in our industry. Lately, in the last decade, salespeople have been told to become thought leaders, create content, find a 'good match', and help the prospect in their purchasing journey.

We've been saying it for decades.  These are basic skills. Now is the time to ACTUALLY do what we have been saying we do.  Engage the basics, and get to the root of the art of selling.  Once we do this, virtual selling will return to 'Selling'.