Finding Joy and Fulfillment in Sales
Sales has always been an unpredictable and often stressful profession. Lately, though, it seems like the pressures of working in sales have been magnified. But salespeople who have the mindset to create value for customers and build trusted relationships are able to find greater fulfillment in sales.
By Mike Esterday for Top Sales Magazine
Between longer buying cycles, broader stakeholder groups, evermore distracted customers, mountains of data and analytics, and a dizzying array of technology and tools, it’s not just a more challenging ecosystem to work in; it’s also harder for salespeople to stay positive amid the constant changes and feel like what they’re doing matters. One of the unfortunate consequences of all of this is that many are wondering whether sales is a job worth pursuing anymore — and whether it’s one you can feel proud of.
In fact, professional salespeople are needed now more than ever. And there have never been more opportunities for salespeople to be both successful and fulfilled in their work. We just need to dispel some of the misconceptions about what sales success requires and what it looks like.
What contributes most to someone’s sales success?
This is a question we’ve studied for years. Does sales success come from mastery of selling skills, techniques and product knowledge, or something more intangible, like an inner achievement drive rooted in a person’s attitudes, beliefs and motivations?
Regardless of changes in the external environment or whatever new selling methods and fads sweep the market, we’ve found that the answer has remained remarkably consistent: Not only does achievement drive play a significant role in sales success, in many people’s view, it’s more predictive of someone’s success.
In one study we conducted, 84% of sales managers and leaders said a person’s achievement drive matters as much or more than their selling proficiency or product knowledge. It’s not that these aren’t important, but our study found that mindset issues elevate the high performers above the pack.
Given that leaders agree achievement drive is pivotal for success, you’d think they’d be laserfocused on developing it. Yet consistent with what we regularly hear from a broad cross-section of sales managers and leaders, only 26% of the respondents said they consider themselves very effective at developing the mental side of selling.
It’s a stunning disconnect. Why are so many organizations ignoring what they themselves have identified as so important to sales success?
One reason is that understanding how inner beliefs and emotions impact sales performance takes work. On the surface, it seems a lot simpler to just send people through skills and product training. And many are convinced that achievement drive isn’t something you can develop — you either have it or you don’t.
Here’s the good news: Anyone can develop and expand their achievement drive. The bad news is that 26% stat… We need to start paying as much attention to building the mindset for sales success as we do the skillset. Because why someone sells — their motivations, drive and purpose — ultimately has far more of an impact on their performance than how they sell.
Selling With Purpose
Part of being successful in sales is being able to connect with and convince people. And the first person you have to connect with and convince is yourself. This requires asking questions like:
- Why am I in sales in the first place?
- How does my purpose shape my actions each day?
- What motivates me to go out and sell?
If you believe you have to manipulate someone into buying something, you’re not going to feel great about what you’re doing, and that’s going to dampen your engagement and limit your success. On the other hand, salespeople who see their role as uncovering needs, meeting needs and creating value for people are fueled by that sense of purpose. This view of sales releases energy, motivation and a drive to achieve more — for themselves and their customers.
Put simply, it gives them a better reason to do what they do every day than “This is what I have to do” or “This is the way I get paid.” They know their contribution matters and their work has meaning, and that makes them want to keep reaching for the next level. Instead of feeling defeated when they face an obstacle or setback, they’re even more determined — and are much more likely to find a way through it.
In this context, it’s easy to see why high achievement drive allows salespeople to perform at consistently higher levels. It also reinforces why sales managers need to focus on coaching from the perspective of inner beliefs and purpose rather than just quotas and activities.
Buyers Still Crave the Human Connection
As the world has become more automated and online, many kinds of sales no longer require a human being on the other side of the transaction. And yet, because of all this change and disruption, we need purpose-driven, trustworthy salespeople now more than ever.
Especially when we’re talking about more complex sales that require problem-solving, listening and working through a customer’s wants, needs and desires, it takes a human. And it takes humanfocused, customer-centered approaches.
Research shows that the vast majority of today’s B2B buyers are only interested in working with and buying from a salesperson they view as a “trusted advisor.” Unfortunately, research consistently finds that these customers don’t have a lot of trust in the salespeople they encounter.
Buyers aren’t looking for someone to rattle off features and benefits or show off the latest selling tactics. They want a conversation with someone who is curious, cares about what they have to say and has their best interests as heart. This is the core of the human side of selling, and it’s why trust and authenticity will always be two of a salesperson’s biggest differentiators.
Skillset, knowledge and a disciplined process are critical. But knowing how to sell isn’t enough to create sales winners. When you have the mindset to create value for your customer, and when you build trusted relationships grounded in integrity, you will be valued and respected, confident and motivated, and proud of what you do every day.
Mike Esterday is CEO and Partner with Integrity Solutions. He is also co-author of the forthcoming book Listen to Sell: How Your Mindset, Skillset, and Human Connections Unlock Sales Performance. Learn more at ListentoSellBook.com.
