What images or thoughts come to mind when you hear the word “salesperson”?
- Stereotypical, used car salesman
- Well spoken financial manager
- The person everyone loves who sells his wares on the golf course
Whether you have positive thoughts about salespeople or decidedly negative, the purpose of this blog is not to suggest or defend any of these images or thoughts. Rather, my purpose is to state a fact: Leaders are salespeople. Perhaps, importantly, great leaders are great salespeople. Let me give you five reasons why:
- Salespeople can’t make you do anything; neither can leaders. Both realise they can inspire and inform, and they recognise the ultimate choice to take action belongs to the customer or follower. Great salespeople and leaders also realise that when they remember this fact they are less frustrated and more successful.
- Salespeople are selling a vision and ideas; so are leaders. You may think salespeople are selling a product or service, but the truth is they are selling a vision of what that product or service will do or how it will make people feel as a result ownership. As leaders help people to see a vision of something different in the future, they are doing the same thing.
- Salespeople know they are in the relationship business; so do leaders. Neither a great salesperson nor a great leader focuses on becoming friends with his/her customers/followers, but all focus on building meaningful and trusted relationships. Why? Those relationships make their work easier and far more rewarding.
- Salespeople realize they are in the change business; so do leaders.If no one buys, nothing changes. If no one follows, there isn’t much leadership. To be successful, salespeople and leaders study and understand individual and group/organisational change.
- Salespeople are influencers and persuaders; so are leaders.Notice I didn’t say manipulators, but influencers and persuaders. When you summarise the other four points above you come up with influence.
The best salespeople are persuasion experts who influence through relationships, insight, great communication skills, understanding people and more. They strive to support and improve the lives of those they sell to, knowing when they do they have created a customer for life.
Read that sentence again, and with just a couple of changes . . .
The best leaders are persuasion experts who influence through relationships, insight, great communication skills, understanding people and more. They strive to support and improve the lives of those they lead, knowing when they do they have created a follower for life.
