The path to transition from being a traditional seller to becoming an exemplary leader is inward. The first step is getting in touch with your personal values and beliefs. Leaders must discover a set of principles, much like a compass, to guide their decisions and actions. In doing so, you find your voice and can speak with confidence about what matters to you. In fact, knowing who you are is essential in determining what to say yes to, and when to say no, in leading and in selling.
Yet leaders don't just speak for themselves. They also speak for their brand, their team, and their organization. Leadership is a dialogue, not a monologue. Therefore, you must reach out to others. You must understand and appreciate the values of your buyers and build a platform of shared values and aspirations. Exemplary sellers, like exemplary leaders, forge unity. They don't force it. They give people reasons to care beyond routine transactions or solutions to business needs.
Moreover, leaders deliver on their promises. You have to practice what you preach. Your actions must show others that you live by the values you profess. You must also ensure that others inside your organization adhere to the values that have been agreed to. It is this consistency between words and actions that builds your personal reputation and credibility.
When buyers observe sellers who Model the Way, they tell us how confident this makes them that sellers will deliver on promises and commitments made. These behaviors also increase buyers' beliefs that they are getting the best solutionâthe right product, right fit, at the right price.
As an exemplary seller, you engage in the leadership practice of Model the Way when you
- Clarify values by finding your voice and affirming shared values.
- Set the example by aligning actions with shared values.
AUDREY MORRISON SOLD CORPORATE HOUSING solutions to help companies relocate employees or host out-of-town executives and clients. She reached her annual quota by closing a nearly $400,000 deal with her very first client, a well-known company.
In discussing what led to her success, Audrey attributed it to something buyers rate much higher in importance than sellers typically do. She recognized the link between her core values and her actions. âI demonstrated great service,â she said. âThis is something that is very important to me in my day-to-day life. I think it's always important to be as helpful and friendly as possible.â She conveys to buyers her authentic commitment to service, driven by her deeply held values, in a manner that gives them confidence in her.
Audrey also values authenticity and honesty. In closing her first deal, this meant being natural and being prepared to answer every question thoroughly and accurately, a practice she continues. âI'm not a pushy person,â she told us. âI let my personality show and made it fairly casual, more like a conversation than a sales pitch. I wasn't overly aggressive just so I could close the deal.â
There's a statistically significant relationship between the extent that sellers are clear about their leadership philosophy and both how proud they are to tell others where they work and how effective they report being in their jobs.
The Personal-Best Sales Experience cases we've collected come directly from sellers like Audrey who made behavioral choices that resulted in sales success. Their choices were driven by internal beliefs. Before you can act on your beliefs and values, you must know what they are. To stand up for your beliefs, to have the courage of your convictions, and to align your actions with your words, you must first make a commitment to Clarify Values. As you work to become a leader, it's essential that you
- Find your voice
- Affirm shared values
Knowing your values means having guiding principles as you interact with buyers. What you say and do will reflect the âreal youâ and not a version of you that sets aside personal beliefs, standards, ethics, or ideals to do the work of selling. You have to say what you mean and mean what you say.
In addition to representing your authentic self, you also represent the beliefs and values of your organization and find common ground with each buyer, as well. Sellers, like leaders, aren't just speaking or acting for themselves. That's why you need to make sure there's agreement on a set of shared values between you, your organization, and your buyers. With that affirmation of common values, everyone can be held accountable to them.
Find Your Voice
Exemplary leaders are clear about their values, and that clarity gives them the courage to navigate difficult situations and make tough decisions. To become a credible leaderâone buyers willingly choose to followâyou first must comprehend fully the values, standards, ethics, ideals, and deeply held beliefs that drive you. To be a credible leader and a respected seller, feeling proud of the work you do and the product or service you represent, you must connect what you believe with both what you say and what you do. You must find your own voice instead of parroting what others say, mimicking what others do, or pretending to be something you are not. Finding your voice begins with an inward journey to discover who you are. Then you need to genuinely express yourself and authentically communicate your beliefs in ways that uniquely represent who you are.
Jane Gentry, principal of Jane Gentry & Company, is clear about her values, which gives her a strong voice. She told us about how, when faced with an ethical dilemma, she chose to lose a sale instead of losing herself.
It all started with a referral from a fellow consultant. Jane and her partner were eager to work with the mid-market technology company in the south, and they spent hours poring over the specifics to be sure the price they proposedâin the mid six figuresâwas fair and profitable. This deal, they believed, was a sure thing, since there were no competitors in the running. At a time when the business needed a boost, this was a welcome referral and opportunity.
The night before the presentation, Jane received a call from the consultant who'd made the referral. Although he'd originally declined her offer to pay a referral fee that was in line with industry standards, he was now demanding that she mark the proposal up a whopping 30 percent for his cut of the deal. That would amount to tens of thousands just for making the introduction. When Jane told him âthat number is unreasonable and, for all intents and purposes, it's outright stealing from the client,â he became angry and screamed at her to âjust do what I tell you!â Jane and her partner talked about the options.
It came down to this. I don't steal. I don't do things that are underhanded. I don't want any part of that. Maintaining my values, even when there's pressure or conflict, is what I will do every time because it's the right thing to do. Period. I don't want there to be a part of myself that I have to hide, that I don't want others to see. It takes energy to hide things, and my energy is better spent serving people, not stealing from them. If I had agreed to do this, I'd never be able to look that client in the eye or hold my head high.
For Jane, and for all exemplary leaders, values are non-negotiable. Despite all the work they'd already done, she and her partner decided to bow out of the presentation. Despite the need for a big new account, what they wanted most was to maintain their principles. Walking away was the only way they could do that.
Sellers, especially those who are new to the profession, may not realize how important it is to bring themselvesâcomplete with values intactâauthentically into their work. Many mistakenly set aside âwho they areâ in the hope that they can âsell anything to anyone.â They think this is what's expected of them and will bend their principles when they feel that's what it takes to make a sale. It's precisely this incongruity that causes buyer mistrust and diminishes the dignity of the sales profession.
Exemplary sellers are not thespians, acting on some grand stage. Instead of putting on an act to sell, when you find your voice, you will behave in accord with your values. Your values will become your internal compass and guide your actions. This is how you'll know when to say âyesâ and when to say ânoâ because your compass will keep you on course and in alignment with what matters most to yo...
