Why authentic selling is the heart and soul of successful sales professionals

Authentic salespeople are the happiest we ever meet. Money, recognition and upward mobility in the sales organization are simply the byproducts of who these people are and how they sell every day.

By Clifford Jones
Contributing Writer,

Every once in a while, we encounter people in sales who are different. They seem special, but we don’t know why, exactly. They have a certain way of putting you at ease, and it’s as if they don’t really want to sell us something as much as they want to make a difference for us, personally.

What is it about these seemingly different, special sales professionals and how do they always perform at the top of their game, far above the rest of the pack?

Meet the authentic sales professional. They sell from the heart and soul, because they are aligned with a higher purpose for being in the sales game, regardless of the product or service they sell.

These are the professionals who seem happier, healthier and more productive than the rest. We love to do business with these authentic salespeople because they genuinely care about helping us get what we want. They put the prospect first, which makes for much happier, more loyal customers than those who are sold something they may not want or need.

Serving others

Not long ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Ron Willingham, the author of Integrity Selling for the 21st Century. His most recent book isAuthenticity: The Head, Heart and Soul of Selling. When we met for the first time, I could tell there was something magical about this man. His story is one you can learn if you search for him online, or better yet, buy and read his newest book. It could change your view of how you sell every day, or lead your team. It could also change your life.

Willingham sells from his heart and soul. He only wants to make a difference for people by teaching them timeless life lessons that few sales professionals will ever practice, until they become as fortunate as me to discover the essence of the most successful sales professionals and humans on the planet.

People like him are unique because their entire mindset from the time they wake up each day is figuring out how to make a significant difference in the lives of their prospects and customers. In the process of selling from the heart and soul, these sales professionals ultimately get what they want. It might be more money, recognition from the boss or a paid vacation and recognition in front of their peers. But they want first to serve others.

Discovering joy

Authentic salespeople are the happiest we ever meet. Money, recognition and upward mobility in the sales organization are simply the byproducts of who these people are and how they sell every day. The entire focus is making sure the people they come in contact with throughout the day all benefit in some way, even if they don’t choose to do business with them right away. The authentic salesperson is not attached to the outcome of the sale unless there is a significant and direct benefit to their customer. They want was is best for us, first.[www.ghtrends.net]

All sales professionals are subjected to the demands of their organizational goals. It has to be this way because sales organizations must align in a way that they can consistently perform to keep the pipeline of prospects and customers flowing. But take a close look at the top performers in your life today and you will ultimately see that the best of us sell from the heart and soul. There is a vast complexity to the drivers of human action. We all seek more meaning and purpose in our work and lives at home, but few of us know how to connect with it, which makes all the difference in how we perform in sales and in life.

There is an invisible power that runs deep in all of us. For those of us building companies, leading teams of people, especially salespeople, we constantly seek to break through to new heights. But what holds us back most is not being connected with our highest purpose, which is the deep desire to serve others by helping them get what they want. Then it’s not really selling anymore.