Tweet

Sell Don't Tell

Written by: Alan Fairweather

Article Overview: Whether we like it or not, selling and persuasion is going on all the time. This articles explains how to utilise these skills if you are to be a successful Motivational Manager.

Sell Don't Tell

"Everyone lives by selling something" - Robert Louis Stevenson

I'll always remember the first sales course I ever attended and the definition of selling that was drummed into my brain.

"Selling is the art of creating a desire in the mind of a buyer and satisfying that desire so that buyer and seller benefit."

Now that may seem a bit old fashioned for many of today's salespeople and this isn't an article about selling, but I believe the principle still holds true.

If you want to get one of your team to do something, then you need to communicate your instructions to them. Of course you could just 'tell' them to do what ever it is you want, and lots of managers do just that. However that's not what being a Motivational Manager is all about and 'telling' just makes your job a lot harder.

There's sometimes a case for 'telling' however it's harder work for you because no one will continue to do what you want unless you keep telling them.

Your team members are your 'internal customers' and you need them to 'buy' from you in order to get the job done. And in order to get them to buy; you need to be a good sales person. I'm sure you've heard the phrase - you need to get peoples 'buy in.'

You also need good sales and persuasion skills when you're dealing with your colleagues and even your boss.

Now you've no doubt noticed that I've started to talk about sales people and buyers. It's because I believe that we're all sales people and buyers from the moment we enter this world till the moment we leave it.

A baby crying for food, attention or a change of nappy is trying to persuade you to take action. If you don't respond to this initial 'request' then they step up the volume until you do. Because we love that child, because we care, we are very open to their persuasion.

So, it follows throughout our life; if people care about us, if they respect us, if they have good rapport with us, then they're more likely to respond to our persuasion.

The sales or persuasion process is very much part of our world, and it's far better to sell than to tell.

A manager will get much further with the people who work for him or her by selling rather than telling. If people understand the benefits for them, then they're more likely to respond in a positive manner to those who supervise them.

In any sales or persuasion situation, you should be looking for a 'win-win' outcome. This is when you obviously benefit as much as the other person. If this isn't the case and it's a 'win-lose' situation, then instead of the words selling or persuasion, we may be talking about manipulation, control or coercion.

However, as any good salesperson or negotiator knows, a 'win-win' outcome is what you should always be aiming for. It follows, that if you want one of your team to do something and they see a benefit for them or they're just happy to do it, then you have a 'win-win' situation.

"You can get everything you want in life if you just help enough other people to get what they want" - Zig Ziglar

So whether we like it or not, selling and persuasion is going on all the time and you need to utilise these skills if you are to be a successful Motivational Manager.

Related Articles
  What is the best way to develop my sales skills?
  Profitable Online Business Ideas and the Recession Part 2
  Social Networking or Social Distraction
  Contribution
  How can you make more of your customers open your emails?

Article Tags: benefit, boss, brain, colleagues, desire, initial request, internal customers, job, nappy, no doubt, persuasion skills, phrase, principle, robert louis stevenson, sales person, salespeople, team members



Related Forum Posts
Re: How to Promote Your Blog – The Definitive Guide to Promoting - Great Post! Dont forget to put your blog in Anchor Text For SEO purposes for the keywords you want when getting backlinks (for example with article marketing)...Very important. You can conquer quite a few small Niches and get your site on the number 1 spot in Google!
Re: Due Diligence, Market Research.. Ahead of the curve. - Congrats! A few months ago I wrote extensively on market research. Check in the Inventors corner for the posts. Let me know if I can help further! Dont spend a dime on a protype or advertising until you do some research! Jude
Re: Who hates cold calling? - I saw this and had to chime in. I HATE COLD CALLS. lol its terrible and a wast of my time. Something i have done is gotten online and found all the networking event happening in my area for the next 2 months and i try and go to about 3 a week. Even just for an hour. Dont bring any business cards. Just meet new people ask them alot about what they do, not too much about what i do and follow up the next day or 2. Has worked well
Your advantage over others - Sell using your USP - unique selling proposition. Why should people buy from you, instead of your competitors? Think about it, why are you so great? It may be a hard question, but finding the answer can multiply the effectiveness of any advertising or marketing activities you undertake.
Re: Businesswomen in the news - [quote="TheRainmaker":2susnvqs] Dont forget that the media is out for the media and scare tactics and bad news gets the coverage.... J[/quote:2susnvqs] This is true....


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

The new marketing question. Will they follow?

Attracting Passionate Employees

Business Coach Explains To You How To Add Value

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.