Servant selling puts service in its proper place – first.
Even if selling or business development is not your specialty, Daniel Pink’s “To Sell Is Human” is full of good ideas and inspiration for everyday persuasion problems.
Whether your selling software, or trying to sell your kids on better eating habits, selling on its highest plain is a fundamental commitment to genuine service.
Here’s how Pink appropriately wraps up his 233-page seminal book on the subject:
“Servant selling is the essence of moving others. But in some sense, it has always been present in those who’ve granted sales its proper respect. For instance, Alfred Fuller (Fuller Brush Co.) said that at a critical point in his own career, he realized that his work was better-in all senses of the word-when he served first and sold next. He began thinking of himself as a civic reformer, a benefactor to families, and ‘a crusader against unsanitary kitchens and inadequately cleaned homes.’
It seemed a bit silly, he admitted. ‘But the successful seller must feel some commitment that his product offers mankind as much altruistic benefit as it yields the seller in money.’ An effective seller isn’t a ‘huckster, who is just out for profit,’ he said. The true ‘salesman is an idealist and an artist.'”
Need a better Why, or boost in your own selling efforts? Pink recommends you always ask and answer these two questions:
- If the person you’re selling to agrees to buy, will his or her life improve?
- When your interaction is over, will the world be a better place than when you began?
Brilliant Book Bit: Great selling, at its core, helps people improve, achieve, and benefit in meaningful ways from the results.
Have a great week.
P.S. Stop stressing about what to say and what to write. Simplify your marketing and sales tools. Make your customers and clients the centerpiece of your marketing. If you need help with your customer case studies and success stories, get in touch with us by replying to this email. We can set up a friendly phone call to discuss the possibilities. And feel free to share this note with others. If you’re not already on our list, please join us!
Sign up for The Sunday Snippet!
Good ideas to help you prosper delivered fresh each Sunday morning.