How to be authentic as a salesperson?

(3 minutes read)
“But for all those techniques to work, you need to be authentic…”
In almost every sales training there is a moment where we hear this statement and then, they explain to you how to be authentic.

It is hilarious to give instructions to a person to teach him or her how to be authentic. It is an oxymoron to use learning and authenticity in the same sentence. The moment you “learn” how to be authentic is the moment you lose your authenticity.

But, how come some salespeople can remain authentic while others role-play the authenticity and somehow it looks obvious. We all feel it during our interactions with salespeople, yet it is very difficult to describe it. It is not about the knowledge of the salesperson, it is not about being honest or being friendly, or asking the right questions. It is just a feeling that we have. Therefore, we are more likely to listen and follow authentic salespeople’s advice even if we choose not to buy from them in the end.

It is all about the salespeople believing in the product/service and in the company in which they work. When a salesperson believes in the product, we unconsciously pay more attention. We listen more carefully, and we give more honest answers. And that makes his/her job easier. If you ask them, they will tell you that their job is not just about selling, it is genuinely to help you to make the best buying decision. For that reason, their focus stays more on the customer rather than explaining their product or company. They are not selling just for their paycheck, they believe to serve a bigger purpose each time they close a deal.

For such salespeople, everything they learn in sales training is like the text of an actor/actress. They all rehearse the same text, but they perform with their acting style. This is why authentic salespeople can perform very differently from one customer to another.

In conclusion, you cannot teach your salespeople to be authentic. You can just build a purpose for your company and onboard your teams to follow that purpose. Once you have this in place, just provide the necessary sales training to your people (the text) and let them perform. That is all