Authentic Selling

Do you sell? 

No No No.  I should ask do you have a personal brand. 

If I would say we all have, whether we are aware of it.  What would you say to that? 

What has selling got to do with your personal brand? 

For a very long time, I have thought selling is for those people who has a physical product or services where others could buy from them. 

But I could not be more wrong – selling is a lot more than that. 

Let’s first take a look at a successful salesperson vs lousy salesperson.  What comes to mind. 

Yes, the attitude, the personality, the charisma – the ability to persuade...probably including the ability to articulate well how good or useful the product or services is which resonates with the buyer. 

 The salesperson is likely to be actively listening to the customer's needs and concerns, asking questions, and providing information about their product or service in a way that is clear, honest, and transparent. 

In the picture, the salesperson's body language and facial expressions would convey a sense of honesty and sincerity. They would be focused on the customer, with a genuine desire to understand their needs and provide helpful solutions. The customer, in turn, would be engaged in the conversation, expressing interest and asking questions. 

The overall tone of the picture would be warm and friendly, emphasizing the idea that authentic selling is about building relationships and establishing trust. 

This is what we call successful, not an one-off transaction but a continuous   relationship with the customers. 

On the other hand, the lousy salesperson is like a person who doesn’t listen,  and cares about himself/herself that goes on and on how good his/her product is, not caring about whether the customers need or want. 

In other words, we are actually buying the relationship more than the product. 

When putting this into the context of a corporate world. 

What is the product here? 

Its You! 

You are the BRAND,   

You are the Product! 

How well you sell depends very much on how good you are at articulating or promoting the product or brand, ie YOU, not just how good the actual product is. 

You see, in my own earlier career journey, I find I struggled in articulating my achievements, so much so I was told earlier on in my career,  I need to improve on my “communication” ability in order to be considered for promotion. 

In other words, a good product needs more than just being good.  It needs you to sell it! 

Since selling is so important to our career, why do so many of us struggle with it, not wanting put effort into it or even avoid it. 

This incident comes into my mind when I am writing this.... 

“Not too long ago,  an acquaintance reached out to me,  commenting about my FB posts when I was in Singapore 

She then asked me whether I can help her with a survey that only takes 10mins so I said yes, and asked her  send it over so I could do it.  

But she replied me saying it is done verbally and it is only 6 questions. 

My antenna immediately went up because of previous bad experiences with her, where she would first ask about you then talk about herself - how well she is doing in her business, how happy she is.., how grateful she has found this business where it brought her so much money, and more importantly how you can join her and how much it will benefit you. blah blah blah” 

You get the picture! 

Is this selling? 

Is this the kind of selling where we are all put off?   Despite attempts to tell her gently, nicely that I am not interested,  it is not for me.  She will persist to tell how good the products are, with research, etc 

It is like “Wait for a moment, are you listening?” 

What is your experience with selling?   Anyone comes to mind? 

You see, 

Our brain associated selling with persistent unscrupulous people who only want us to buy the products/services from them.  We seem to forget that selling itself is not good or bad, it is only how you sell, ie the person. 

What if I tell you that there is a better way to sell and I call it the “authentic selling” as one of my coaching client who is an account manager in her firm said to me,  her clients are just like her friends and she genuinely cares about their well-being, not how much she can sell to them.   

If your good friend knows that you have a need for something and recommend a product to you,  will you believe it,  will you buy? 

The answer is a very likely YES, for one we need/want the product, two someone we trust is sharing that information with us. 

Likewise, when we are promoting ourselves – the product, we need to be mindful, are we simply pushing ourselves at others who do not want to “buy” or  we are simply letting them know the availability of the product so that they can be made the right decision on what to buy because we are not in the position to decide unless we know  what we are buying ie the characteristics of the product. 

What is your purpose or objectives of self-promotion?   Other than the obvious need for promotion, job title, bigger pay. 

Yes recognition,  many  of us seek to be recognized, to be seen 

The human need for recognition or validation is rooted in our psychological makeup and social nature as human beings. Being recognized, appreciated, or acknowledged by others for our efforts, accomplishments, or qualities provides us with a sense of worth, esteem, and belonging. 

According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, recognition and esteem are fundamental human needs that are crucial to our psychological well-being and self-actualization. In other words, once our basic physiological and safety needs are met, we seek recognition and appreciation from others to fulfil our higher-level needs for self-esteem, confidence, and respect. 

Moreover, social comparison theory suggests that we tend to evaluate ourselves and our abilities in relation to others around us. Therefore, when we receive recognition or praise from others, it can help us feel validated and affirmed in our abilities, which in turn boosts our self-confidence and motivation. 

Additionally, the desire for recognition can also stem from our innate desire to connect and belong with others. Being recognized by others can help us feel a sense of connection and belonging, as it signifies that we are seen and accepted by others within our social group or community. 

Now,  knowing the root of why each one of us seeks recognition.   

How ready are you to give recognition to your friends especially your subordinates. 

Simultaneously, to help the others to recognise our ability, contribution, we need to show up and show up authentically otherwise the recognition will be nothing but false. 

In the same way,  The art of selling is not about you or your product but what the other person needs or wants and how you can in your best way to provide it hence when we step forth to “sell” authentically,  we are also offering our full true self in a genuine way. 

In my next blog,  we will dive deeper into the concept of influence,  how can we influence authentically