The Go-Giver Law of Authenticity
By Scott Gillespie
This week is the fourth of a five-part series based on the bestselling book, The Go-Giver. If you only read three books this year, make this one of them! It is a true paradigm shifter as you will begin to look at business and life in a whole new light.
Last week we learned the Law of Influence says “your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.” This week’s Law takes a look at a trait or characteristic that helps you with the abundant influence we give that we learned about last week. The trait? Authenticity.
Bob Burg, author of The Go-Giver, defines this fourth law, The Law of Authenticity, as follows: “The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.” Of the five laws, I believe this one to be the easiest to implement and live by.
The core of personally being authentic is to be yourself. There is no class to take or seminar to sit through to learn how to be yourself. If you are an extrovert, then be outgoing. If you’re a little on the shy side, then feel comfortable helping your customers with your reserved demeanor. Gavin DeGraw has a song that sums it up in one line - “I don’t wanna be anything other than me.” True authenticity!
This is great news and hopefully an eye-opening revelation for some. Many people think that to be good in sales you have to have a knack, a way with people, a gift for gab, or any of a number other clichés that profile the “ideal” salesperson. For those that fit this profile, that’s fine. For those that don’t line up with the stereotypical mold of a successful salesperson, take a deep breath and let it out because it doesn’t matter!!
You see, it isn’t the jokes you can tell, the script you can memorize or the techniques you can use to maneuver through a sale. A genuine interest in your customer’s needs will trump anything you try to be that isn’t you and within your comfort zone. If you work outside your comfort zone, your customers will sense it and become skeptical. Give of yourself wholly and freely to your customers and they in turn will give you their business and their loyalty.
Put yourself in the shoes of your customer. Currently she is over at ABC Company looking for a particular product. The slick sales rep is asking his probing questions and half-hearing her answers while formulating his next question. The customer is somewhat learning about the product but something with the whole experience just isn’t clicking. She then awkwardly shuffles through his closing attempts and is finally able to get out of the store without being “sold.”
Now this customer walks through your door. Staying in your comfort zone, you greet her with a smile and begin your interaction with her. You stay focused on her needs and her responses to your questions. You can even stumble through this process as long as she knows that you are genuinely interested in giving value and helping her with her dilemma to provide the best solution for her. The best way to accomplish this is to not try to accomplish it. Be yourself, be authentic and give yourself to your customers as the resource they need by being the resource that you are!
To illustrate this law, I’ll share with you my “sales” story. I have been working in various positions that would be considered sales for the better part of 15 years now. Every position I’ve had, I was able to accelerate through the standard time recommendations before advancement. My education is not in sales; it is graphic and engineering design. I have never taken a sales course to learn techniques or closing strategies. However, at every stop, I’ve been able to exceed quotas and cultivate positive sales growth.
I believe what allowed me to excel is a genuine interest in people, a patience to delve deeper and deeper until understanding their needs and discerning if I can provide the solution they need. Mind you, I did not say “sell them the best solution I can provide.” There have been times I have referred people to a competitor because I knew they had the solution this person really needed. Taken a step further, once I referred them elsewhere, I would still take time with them to thoroughly go through why I felt the other guy’s solution would be best for them.
So rather than force the issue and the sale, I stayed true to myself and kept the best interest of my customer (or would-be customer) in mind. As a result, I feel good about it because I know I truly helped them and they really appreciate it as well. The really cool thing is a couple of these folks referred people to me, even though they were served well elsewhere, because they knew that I would take care of their friends, with their best interests at heart.
“The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.” In a sales world full of sales people and the pressure and hype to be like them, why not be authentic, give yourself to your customers and be a sales servant?
Now, Go Get ‘Em!!
By Scott Gillespie
This week is the fourth of a five-part series based on the bestselling book, The Go-Giver. If you only read three books this year, make this one of them! It is a true paradigm shifter as you will begin to look at business and life in a whole new light.
Last week we learned the Law of Influence says “your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.” This week’s Law takes a look at a trait or characteristic that helps you with the abundant influence we give that we learned about last week. The trait? Authenticity.
Bob Burg, author of The Go-Giver, defines this fourth law, The Law of Authenticity, as follows: “The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.” Of the five laws, I believe this one to be the easiest to implement and live by.
The core of personally being authentic is to be yourself. There is no class to take or seminar to sit through to learn how to be yourself. If you are an extrovert, then be outgoing. If you’re a little on the shy side, then feel comfortable helping your customers with your reserved demeanor. Gavin DeGraw has a song that sums it up in one line - “I don’t wanna be anything other than me.” True authenticity!
This is great news and hopefully an eye-opening revelation for some. Many people think that to be good in sales you have to have a knack, a way with people, a gift for gab, or any of a number other clichés that profile the “ideal” salesperson. For those that fit this profile, that’s fine. For those that don’t line up with the stereotypical mold of a successful salesperson, take a deep breath and let it out because it doesn’t matter!!
You see, it isn’t the jokes you can tell, the script you can memorize or the techniques you can use to maneuver through a sale. A genuine interest in your customer’s needs will trump anything you try to be that isn’t you and within your comfort zone. If you work outside your comfort zone, your customers will sense it and become skeptical. Give of yourself wholly and freely to your customers and they in turn will give you their business and their loyalty.
Put yourself in the shoes of your customer. Currently she is over at ABC Company looking for a particular product. The slick sales rep is asking his probing questions and half-hearing her answers while formulating his next question. The customer is somewhat learning about the product but something with the whole experience just isn’t clicking. She then awkwardly shuffles through his closing attempts and is finally able to get out of the store without being “sold.”
Now this customer walks through your door. Staying in your comfort zone, you greet her with a smile and begin your interaction with her. You stay focused on her needs and her responses to your questions. You can even stumble through this process as long as she knows that you are genuinely interested in giving value and helping her with her dilemma to provide the best solution for her. The best way to accomplish this is to not try to accomplish it. Be yourself, be authentic and give yourself to your customers as the resource they need by being the resource that you are!
To illustrate this law, I’ll share with you my “sales” story. I have been working in various positions that would be considered sales for the better part of 15 years now. Every position I’ve had, I was able to accelerate through the standard time recommendations before advancement. My education is not in sales; it is graphic and engineering design. I have never taken a sales course to learn techniques or closing strategies. However, at every stop, I’ve been able to exceed quotas and cultivate positive sales growth.
I believe what allowed me to excel is a genuine interest in people, a patience to delve deeper and deeper until understanding their needs and discerning if I can provide the solution they need. Mind you, I did not say “sell them the best solution I can provide.” There have been times I have referred people to a competitor because I knew they had the solution this person really needed. Taken a step further, once I referred them elsewhere, I would still take time with them to thoroughly go through why I felt the other guy’s solution would be best for them.
So rather than force the issue and the sale, I stayed true to myself and kept the best interest of my customer (or would-be customer) in mind. As a result, I feel good about it because I know I truly helped them and they really appreciate it as well. The really cool thing is a couple of these folks referred people to me, even though they were served well elsewhere, because they knew that I would take care of their friends, with their best interests at heart.
“The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.” In a sales world full of sales people and the pressure and hype to be like them, why not be authentic, give yourself to your customers and be a sales servant?
Now, Go Get ‘Em!!
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Issue #56 ~ May 4, 2010 Printer friendly PDF file
