The Secret to Selling

Would you like to know the secret of how to sell? To be able to wave a magic wand and get anyone eating out of your hand to buy your service or product?

You probably know someone who is amazing at selling that you think could sell anything to anyone. Perhaps you've tried to model them or follow a sales method but it hasn't worked very well for you.

It might surprise you to know that natural sales people are actually rare. Just because a sales person does a great job in one situation doesn’t mean that will be automatically transferred to another unless they are using their strengths. In many firms cross selling has become a popular strategy for growth, yet it is often wrongly assumed that individuals can adapt to changes in a product or service and achieve the same levels of success as they have before.

When Gallup conducted a research project into the subject of selling they found there isno right way to sell. They also found that the best sales people are the ones who understand and focus on building their strengths to find their own unique approach to selling. The best sales people learn to sell in their way. [1]

So what are the secrets to becoming more successful at selling? Here are some tips:

Understand and communicate your strengths and weaknesses

Many of us feel embarrassed talking about what we’re good at, or take our strengths for granted because they come so naturally to us. They are the things we do effortlessly, that energise and engage us. When individuals are able to do what they do best everyday – play to their strengths – their happiness and well-being increases. Not only that, companies with highly engaged workforces outperform their peers by 146% on earnings per share. [2]

It’s just as important to understand our weaknesses, which can be diagnosed through understanding our strengths. Many of us hide behind our weaknesses, which is normal because from the time we were born there is a focus on what we aren’t good at. As adults when we get to work we are trained to improve in the areas where we’re ‘not good enough’. For many admitting weaknesses feels like failure but the truth is every single one of us has them.

Being open about what you’re good at and where you might be having difficulties gives you the opportunity to collaborate with others. An environment where individuals and teams are encouraged to open up and share what they are good at and where they need support, produces transformational results to productivity and profitability.

Apply your strengths effectively

There is a big difference between knowing what your strengths are and applying them in the right way. When you learn to apply your strengths effectively you are consciously able to work towards eliminating your weaknesses – because many of our weaknesses are actually our strengths misapplied.

Weaknesses are the things that sap you of your time and most importantly your energy. They can be diagnosed through understanding your strengths. When you are blind to the strengths of others, or when you are operating from an area of non-strength, you can be tripped into over or under using them. This can cause your strengths to show up as weaknesses to yourself and others around you.

What might this look like in practice? If you are someone with the strength of Activator you are fantastic at getting things started, driving momentum and getting people on the bus with you because of your high energy. A frustrated Activator might look like someone who is impatient to move things as quickly as possible (whilst others are still going through it) who speaks before they think. They might start projects and initiatives before getting everyone on board and intimidate others with their high energy and need for action. The very things that make your Activator strength so amazing are suddenly showing up as weaknesses to those around you.

Learning about your blind spots, what your strengths need, what frustrates them and what they might look like when they are being overused and underused is part of the journey towards effective strengths application.

Work with others who are strong where you are weak

There are 34 strengths in the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment and we typically play to 8-10 of those strengths most of the time. This means we are completely blind to around 40 to 50% of the perspectives of people who don’t share the same strengths as us. So we all need to work with other people to gain insight into the strengths we don’t have.

Once you understand your blind spots you can look at who you might need to partner with and these individuals will be energised by your weaknesses because they have them as strengths.

Through taking the Clifton StrengthsFinder Assessment I know that one of my areas of non-strength is Ideation. People with the strength of Ideation can come up with ideas from nothing, are hugely creative and have a brilliant imagination. It’s not that I can’t come up with Ideas, just that it doesn’t come as naturally to me to do so. For years I used to feel drained and de-energised with group ‘brainstorming’ sessions as I struggled to come up with ideas that seemed to come so naturally to others. Now I am aware of my strengths and comfortable with my weaknesses I actively partner with others with Ideation. The beauty is that asking them to help explore ideas is like feeding a hungry lion and fuelling it with energy. It is a win-win for both parties.

Learn the right things in the right way

Companies spend billions every year on sales training. Yet why do the same two people, who receive the same training, achieve different results? Whilst the suggestion isn’t that training can’t help it is often directed towards poor performers. Individuals are often much better placed to determine what training will help them and the learning style needs to be matched to their strengths.

For example, if you are someone who has relationship building strengths such as Relator, Empathy and Developer, it is likely you will prefer to learn in a small group, or one on one, with someone you trust where you are able to share information and insights.

If you have the strength of Activator, you will be impatient to see results and the pace of any training and development might not be quick enough for you compared to others. Contrast this to someone with the strength of Learner you will enjoy going through the process of learning and are likely to enjoy doing so in a number of different ways.

It takes time, care and attention to look at individual needs and this often gets overlooked in the haste of pursuing results. But we know that engaged employees are more productive and use what they have learned to contribute to the success of their organisation. [3]

Consider your role

My top strengths are Maximizer, Arranger, Input, Empathy and Relator. Over time I have come to realise that my natural sales style is to create and build long lasting relationships and develop their potential. Many years ago I was working for a holiday time share company in Sydney. My job was to call and re-confirm customer appointments that had already been made – I hated it. Ironic that I achieved the lowest number of no shows and was paid the highest commission for the time I stuck it out. Looking back I made use of my strengths in the way that came most naturally to me - building connection and trust. Ultimately my strengths became more and more frustrated as I felt disingenuous, dishonest and unable to build long lasting relationships with customers.

Work is more enjoyable when you make the most of your strengths and you discover how to sell yourself.

As a final thought, consider this: The odds of finding someone with the same top 5StrengthsFinder themes in the same order as you is 1 in 33 million which is a staggering statistic.[4]. So it stands to reason that we all have our own unique style of selling.