Life changed during the pandemic. We didn’t know at the start, how it would blow up our lives, take our loved ones and keep us wondering if we’d even survive it.
It’s been a hard route back to normal, whatever ‘normal’ is now.
As we head back after the holiday period and toward FY23, many businesses will be looking for a quick sales boost to fight off the potential of a winter of discontent. With the possible tightening of belts, this can often mean lowering standards to achieve more sales.
Add the increasing use of AI material, masquerading as human content, and it’s difficult to know if what we hear can be trusted. We’re bombarded with noise from social media, emails, ads and news reporting.
How do we evaluate what’s authentic and what’s not? What steps can we take to make sure what we’re seeing and hearing is true?
The simple answer is we can’t. At some point we must decide to believe the people we ‘feel’ are authentic, because we have no other choice.
As a consultant, speaker and mentor to businesses that are looking to improve their growth, I’m conscious that sales activity and sales people are often considered near the bottom rung in terms of authenticity.
I speak a lot about authenticity, because it seems to be disappearing more every day. Not only is it at the heart of a good leader, I think it’s at the very heart of being a good person. I know that if I believe a person is authentic, I listen harder, trust what they say and am more likely to buy from them.
When I mentor business leaders, I emphasise the importance of clear communication with their staff and customers. It’s essential to building their reputation as a trusted, authentic brand. A good reputation translates very quickly into accelerated growth.
We’ve probably all been guilty of closing a sale that we knew was not quite right for a customer, I know I did when I was starting out. Age and experience have taught me that it’s never OK.
Authenticity means not selling to a customer who won’t benefit from your product or service. It means listening more than talking in the discovery stage. And it means open and honest answers to every question.
Every sales person should understand that active listening, good matching of need to product and an easy close will happen naturally, once you focus on trust.
Many times, during discovery, I have told a prospect that what I offer isn’t right for them and have recommended someone or something else that will better suit their need. Yes, it’s true that I lost that potential sale, but each time, I’ve gained an ambassador who recommends me to others.
Personal recommendation produces the golden ticket prospect. Your reputation has won you the opportunity and your authenticity has been recognised. Being authentic makes you feel good, your customers benefit and your business grows.
Your reputation is an asset, authenticity is priceless.
