Sales isn’t about taking, or convincing. It’s not about forcing or cajoling.

Sales is about giving, teaching, coaching, educating, sharing and engaging. Sales is about helping, that’s all.

Today it’s easy to forget that.  The pressure to perform, to get to quota and to win in sales is intense. It’s this pressure that ends up perverting sales.

Because of this pressure buyers don’t allow sales people to help, as they don’t trust them. The don’t see them as trying to help, they see them as trying to take.

When buyers won’t let sales people help, sales people push harder, they start trying to convince, force, and cajole. They stop selling.

When sales people stop selling, things only get worse and the pressure increases.

When the pressure increases, sales pushes harder, cajoles more and teaches, shares, and consults less, even when new buyers want a sales person’s help.

The cycle has begun.

To avoid this negative cycle or get out of the cycle, a sales person’s job ISN’T to get the customer to listen to their pitch or buy their product. It’s simply to get them to be open to help.

When prospects and buyers are open to help and the sales person is honestly providing it, that’s when selling is happening.

Figure out how to get prospects and buyers to want your help, and the rest will take care of itself.