Selling vs. dating

2 minutes read

A sales meeting is almost like a date. And your attitude is clearly defined by your expectation of the outcome. If you would like to build a long-term relationship, you would be more interested in the other party. And you would be genuinely curious about their lives. If you are looking for a short-term benefit (a one-night stand or one-off sales transaction), you would be more talking about yourself because you would focus on your own objectives.

Ironically, most sales trainings teach salespeople how to present themselves and talk about their companies and their products. Even in line with the trend of “problem-solving,”… they keep training salespeople to explain how they can solve your problem. Therefore we train them to talk, to talk, and to talk. And sometimes we teach them to ask some questions. Because of the way we train, they sound like a chatbot. You can go to any car dealer to test it. They all ask you the same questions… The purpose of use, the average daily distance you make, the number of kids you have, if you have a place to install a wall charger, what are your must-haves, who is going to drive…

It is like asking standard questions about the other person’s job, if they have sisters and brothers, their favorite band, etc.

And at some point, we ask them to be good listeners. But we never train them to be one. (By the way, if you are interested in listening, please check the “listen to be understood” post)

Who would you like to date someone, who keeps talking about how rich they are, how many famous friends they have, how big and beautiful their house is, how are they better than others, and overall how they are the perfect fit for you without even knowing you?

Suppose you would not do it for a date. Why would you do it for a customer and start explaining how big and successful your company is, talking about your well-known clients, how you are better than your competitors, and how your product and service best fit your customer’s need?

PS:  Simon Sinek has a great short video that is spot on!