Everything You Learned About Sales Is Backwards

[Guest Post by: Bob Burg and John David Mann, coauthors of Go-Givers Sell More*]

“I’m no good at selling!” Have you ever heard someone say that? Or maybe said it yourself? (Now, tell the truth.)

We hear it all the time. Everyone who is not in sales thinks, “I could never sell” — and most people who are in sales secretly think the same thing.

There is a reason people feel this way: most of us look at sales backwards. Backwards how? In the most fundamental ways.

For example.

They see sales as convincing people to do something they don’t want to do. It’s not: it is about learning what people do want to do and then helping them do that.

They think sales is about taking advantage of others. Not so: in fact, it’s about giving others more advantage.

Most people think of sales as a talking business. Nope: it’s really a listening business.

Classic sales training focuses on the “close.” The true sales greats hardly notice the close — they are too busy focusing on the open.

But the biggest inversion of all, the great upside-down misconception about sales, is that it is an effort to get other people to do something. Ask most anyone to define sales and you will hear some variation of this: “Sales is getting people to buy something.”

The truth about sales is that it isn’t about getting at all. Sales at its best, at its most effective, is precisely the opposite: it is about — get ready for this — giving.

The word “sales” itself suggests this. It is derived from the Old English word sellan, which means, you guessed it, “to give.” Selling is giving: giving time, attention, counsel, education, empathy and value.

Of course, this is not how most of us have learned to think about sales. The traditional approach to sales aims to choreograph the process by putting control firmly in the hands of the salesperson. Which is probably why neither party really enjoys it. It’s not much fun to have someone try to control you. For that matter, it’s not much fun to be the one doing the controlling, either.

The problem is that little word, “control.” You can’t do it.

Nobody can.

The classic sales process succeeds if you “make a sale.” But you can’t make a sale. Again, no one can. It’s impossible to make a sale, because no one can truly make other people do what they want them to do.

What you can do is create a context that allows a sale to happen when the other person makes a purchase. This is not semantics: this is the secret of all great salespeople.

When you spend time with a genuinely successful salesperson, pay close attention and you’ll find something surprising: none of the hundreds of standard sales techniques are what makes them excel at what they do.

Genuinely great salespeople are not great because they have mastered “the close,” or because they give a dazzling presentation, or because they could shoot holes in any customer objection from fifty paces. They are great because they create a vast and spreading sphere of good will wherever they go. They enrich, enhance and add value to people’s lives.

They make people happier.

How do they do that? What is it that makes them great?

What makes a great salesperson great at sales is that he or she is wholeheartedly interested in the other person. The truth about selling is that it’s not about your product, and it’s not about you — it’s about the other person.

The remarkable thing about these consummate salespeople is that they are not as rare as you might think. In fact, you can find them everywhere. This is because being adept at sales does not require mastery of complex or elaborate skills.

The laws that govern good salesmanship are the laws that govern good relationships. Selling is not at its core a business transaction; it is first and foremost the forging of a human connection.

This is very good news, because it means that anyone can be great in sales.

It means you can be great in sales.

You might think that to do so, you need to have an outgoing, naturally jovial, gregarious personality. Not true. Shy people create relationships and get married. Introverts make great friends. You don’t need to be a “people person,” or any specific type of person, to be great at selling. In fact, the idea itself — that you might have to be a certain sort of person to be great in sales — precisely misses the point:

It’s not about you; it’s about them.

If you take away nothing from this post but those seven words, it will have been well worth the time to read it — because your life in sales will transform.

* To order your copy of GO-GIVERS SELL MORE, CLICK HERE

Bob Burg, www.Burg.com

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It has ranked as high as #21 on Barnes&Noble.com, #69 on Amazon.com (and #3 in Amazon’s “Business Management” category) … Do you know how many books are ON Amazon and Barnes&Noble? That’s HUGE!

“It’s ALL true. It ALL works.” Two bold statements, I know…

Some salespeople will see this book and say, “Yeah, right … this nicey-nice go-giving mentality and approach to sales couldn’t possibly work.” These folks may find themselves on a hamster wheel for the rest of their selling careers, working harder … not smarter; never really building anything.

More than karma, this is about sociology; humanness.

For those who already embody — or make the commitment to embrace — these principles, they are guaranteeing themselves success — success on every possible level.

If you look over the chapter titles…

If you look over the chapter titles and feel resonance, you’re going to LOVE this book. If instead you feel resistance, you NEED this book. Either way, sounds like you oughta BUY this book 😉

Here’s what others are saying:

“Use the approach in this book and you will not only sell more, you will also live a rich and joyful life. It works!”
— Spencer Johnson, M.D., #1 New York Times bestselling author of Who Moved My Cheese? and coauthor of The One Minute $alesperson

“Burg and Mann have given us the perfect companion volume to their breakout bestseller, The Go-Giver. If the first book changed your thinking, this one will change your actions.”
— David Bach, #1 New York Times bestselling author, The Automatic Millionaire

“Go-Givers Sell More completely revolutionizes the way most people have traditionally viewed sales. If you’re ready to transform your business, watch your sales soar, and feel proud and confident as a salesperson, you need this book.”
— Dr. Ivan Misner, New York Times bestselling author, Truth or Delusion? and founder, BNI

And, of course, there are literally dozens of renowned experts who agree and are hopping on board to help this book, and its message, forever change the way we do business! I was blown away by the list of endorsement and testimonials — by the “big-time” names and by what each of them had to say — Seriously, I’ve never seen a list of names this impressive.

You can help too – AND increase your business at the same time. By securing your copy of Go-Givers Sell More today, you can help launch it with a big splash and catch the attention of many more. And, Bob and John have put together a special package of bonus items that you’ll also receive with this life-changing book – just to say “Thanks!”

Check it out

To Your Success,

PS… It really doesn’t take a PS to make sense out of this deal … a great read … greater sales, happiness and security … AND some helpful bonus items as well when you secure your copy TODAY!

PPS…I suppose I should mention that I receive no monetary compensation for you buying the book here — I’m just excited to share such a wonderful tool with you.

BTW…We had the privilege of interviewing Bob on We Mean Business!. Here’s the full show >>