Sales is first and foremost about *genuinely* connecting with your prospective customer/client.
Without that connection, a sale (of any substance) rarely occurs.
The Golden Rule of Business: All things being equal, people will do business with — and refer business to — those people they know, like, and trust.
While all three are important, trust is that which makes the ultimate difference.
Key Point: Once a heart-to-heart, emotional connection is made, trust is the natural result.
And this trust is what creates the “benevolent context” for the sale to occur.
Have you noticed? The more high-tech society becomes, the more valuable high touch (i.e., “people skills”) becomes.
As Geoff Colvin discusses in his excellent book, Humans Are Underrated, this will continue to be the case, and those who cultivate the skills of emotional intelligence, leadership, collaboration, team building, etc. will not only always have jobs — they will have the highest-paid and most fulfilling jobs.
Exercise: Do a self-assessment of your abilities mentioned above by Mr. Colvin — as well as other important “people skills” — and ask yourself where it might be a good idea for you to continue to grow in this regard.
