When a liberal arts major sits down and thinks about their future career, very seldom has it typically included a future in sales.
But sales isn’t like it used to be — the typical salesperson today is also quite often an unintentional salesperson. The sales force of today must be deeply empathetic, curious and committed to filling needs. But how do we flip the narrative to attract these kinds of people?
We speak with Mike Fisher, long-time Master Facilitator for Integrity Solutions and Chief Sales Officer at Sales Bullpen, about defining what a salesperson really is, how a mindset shift can change the public opinion (as well as their own), and how sales leaders need to look at their team.
Listen Now
Will Milano
Chief Marketing Officer, Integrity Solutions
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, iHeartRadio, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts as we discuss:
- How beliefs about & view of selling ultimately shapes sales success
- Why a positive or negative view of sales will ultimately make or break a salesperson
- The mindset shift required for sales leaders
Sales Mindset Podcast Quotes from Mike Fisher:
“One of the things we have to do when we get into a sales role mentally and emotionally is to step back and say, ‘What difference does my job make?’”
“Gone are the days when you lead with a cold call and a rehearsed pitch. Do your research, ask questions, and find a problem that needs to be solved for your consumer. Only then can the narrative start to change.“
“…salespeople have to be deeply curious about the person’s business. And I think that really is a precursor to being successful in selling, because I think the customer can tell when you’re genuinely interested in helping them grow and helping them solve problems. And when you have that curiosity from a selling perspective, I think you have a healthier view of selling, when you look at what you’re doing.”
“I always asked groups, ‘If I stepped out and asked 10 people in the street about salespeople, what would they tell me?’ And so what would they tell you: Slick, pushy, snake oil, whatever. And I think that’s true. But I don’t think people necessarily have a bad view of salespeople, I think they immediately think of a bad experience they’ve had with a salesperson.”
“What I found is a lot of leaders hold back from holding their team accountable, because they don’t want to hurt their feelings.”
“If you’re not prepared, you tend to be very reactive, which is emotional; versus responsive, which is logical.”
“If we start approaching sales as a value given through a product or service, we start to see all the ways that other professions are using the same strategies in the attempt to provide value for their customers. Think of a doctor with the right products to save a life.”
Additional Resources:
Developing Sales Mindset Is The Secret To Uncovering Opportunity and Selling Success
A Positive View of Selling is Critical to Hiring Salespeople
Building Sales Confidence is Everything
Our other podcasts with Mike Fisher: EP 023 Preparing for Sales Calls and Asking Better Probing Questions for Sales and Ep 012 The Selling Skill that Will Better Connect You with Customers
Subscribe to Mental Selling on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a rating our review- we value your feedback!
