Saturday, September 09, 2006
People buy people first
I’d just finished a speech with group of sales managers at a Fortune 500 company. After everyone cleared out of the room, my client came up to me with a huge smile on his face. “Great job Scott! I’ve been getting awesome feedback. You truly resonated with my staff!”
“Cool, that’s what I like to hear,” I replied.
Steve sat down in the chair in front of me. He leaned back, put his feet up and said, “You know Scott, I gotta be honest: I hire a lot of outside trainers just like yourself. And as valuable as your message of approachability is, the real reason I chose you … is because I LIKED you.”
Wow. So there it was. Just like that. Because he liked me.
LESSON LEARNED: people buy people first.
Before your company.
Before your products.
Before your services.
They buy YOU first.
Before your ideas.
Before your suggestions.
Before your work.
They buy YOU first.
THEREFORE: you owe it to yourself to put your values before vocation. Beliefs before business. Person before profession. Individuality before industry.
Here’s how. I call it The ABC’s of Leading with Your Person:
A is for attitude.
(Cliché but true!) Sun Tzu said, “What you believe about yourself, the world will believe about you.” So, before you sell a product, idea or service, first sell yourself on yourself. Because if you don’t like you, nobody else will.
How much time do you spend each day selling yourself to yourself?
B is for breathing.
...your person through every possible touch point, that is. The way you answer the phone, type emails, engage in person, or appear on paper – all of these are different channels through which you have an opportunity to communicate your person FIRST. It's like Seth Godin says, "The only thing people judge about you is how an engagement with you makes them feel."
Do your communication channels define you by what you do or who you are?
C is for consistency.
Ever run into one of your coworkers outside of the office and think, “Oh my God! Jan from Accounting?! She’s like a completely different person!”
It’s a bummer when that happens. I feel like I see it a lot. Not exactly consistent, huh?
Now I know, I know: some people work in jobs that require them to be someone different compared to who they are when they’re off the clock.
Those people should find new jobs.
When was the last time someone told you “tone down” your real self?
Attitude.
Breathing.
Consistency.
That’s how you lead with your person. Got it?
Cool.
LET ME ASK YA THIS...
How do you lead with your person?
* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
Are you That Guy?
Find out in Scott's new book at www.hellomynameisscott.com!
Labels: don't sell - enable people to buy, people buy people first, unforgettable first impressions
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No matter how sophisticated the sales pitch gets, it still comes down to the "Likeability" factor.
you are absolutely right. l used to be a finance manager at an automobile company and l really loved and enjoyed my job. My clients call me to thank me and talk to me about other stuff after a sales. A very intelligent man came to get a car for his daughter once and after all the sales rigamaroll he said "you know what, you are full of Bull but l like you.l have seen this vehicle elsewhere for 2K less but l will buy it from you". Your personality says a lot about what you are selling, thanks for reminding me again.
you are absolutely dead on. I post very similar topics in agreement with your content! awesome blog!!!! http://ultimatecloser.blogspot.com
The ABC thing makes a lot of sense. I spent a number of years in EMS and it reminded me of the ABC's we had there "airway, breathing, circulation".
Of course, for some of us it was "airway, breathing, clipboard"
1) check airway
2) check breathing
3) if not breathing, hit with clipboard.
For psych patients:
1) If airway is open and patient is yelling..
2) Then stifle breathing with pillow
3) if pillow is ineffective hit with clipboard.
ABC applies to so many things.