If you look around, you’ll note that in the world of B2B sales, there is an increasing ground swell towards “consultative selling”. Some of the most popular books on sales techniques have titles like “Trusted Seller Guide”, “The Trusted Advisor”, or “Integrity Selling”. The common theme is obvious, promoting trust, integrity, and honesty into the B2B sales profession.
These books popular today represent a significantly different point of view versus those that were popular in an era gone by. In the sixties, seventies, and eighties, most of the popular materials promoted manipulation, closing techniques, and/or getting the sale at any cost and, no matter the ethics or impact those techniques would have to future sales or business relationships.
Consultative selling, relationship selling or to quote another title, “Selling with Integrity”, are all concepts based on doing the right thing, looking for ways to help clients win versus making the sale, and these are the best strategies for anyone who hopes to have a long and fulfilling career in B2B sales.
In my program – First Approach – relationship selling and being real are common themes. However, what I have discovered over the years
is that not everyone gets the absolute required ingredient that is an imperative for anyone wishing to be a successful and trustworthy sales professional. That ingredient is, being authentic.
Whether it’s being a “trusted seller” or “selling with integrity”, the number one necessity is that you have to believe in it and be prepared to take to heart the methods, strategies and tactics that these books promote. It’s not enough to employ these tools if you see them as a hustle.
All too often I encounter sales people that, while they have been exposed to these concepts, continue to conduct themselves in a manor that is in-compatible with what they learned. This type of sales person continues to see their day-to-day objective as an “all for me” mandate with little or no regard for any result beyond a sale.
If you’re going to be truly committed to selling with integrity that is, if you want to be successful at selling with integrity, then you have to abide by some simple rules.
1) The best choice or decision must always be what is best for the client.
2) The most valuable asset you’ll ever have is your reputation. Never compromise your reputation.
3) Never promise something that you’re even slightly unsure you will be able to deliver.
4) Never purport to have an answer or be an expert on a subject you are un-qualified to address.
5) Nobody is perfect. Own up to mistakes and willingly admit when you’re wrong
6) Be prepared to walk from a sale that may be good for you but is the wrong choice for the client.
7) Always be focused on the long term. Customers and markets alike have long memories. Short term gains are usually just that, short term.
Finally, remember that it is never necessary to manipulate or mislead clients. If you think it is, you either have the wrong solution or the wrong client for your solution.