22nd August, 2022
“I’m no good at selling!” Have you ever heard someone say that, or perhaps said it yourself?
We hear it all the time. Everyone who is not in sales thinks, “I could never sell.”
Truth is, most people who are in sales secretly think the same thing.
There is a reason people feel this way: most of us look at sales backward.
We may see it as convincing people to do something they don’t want to do.
But it isn’t; sales is about learning what people do want to do and helping them do that.
Or, we may think it’s about taking advantage of others—while in fact, it’s about giving other people some more advantage.
But the biggest inversion of all, the great upside-down misconception about sales, is that it is an effort to get something from others.
The truth is that sales at its best—that is, at its most effective—is precisely the opposite: it’s about giving.
Selling is all about giving: giving time, attention, counsel, education, empathy, and value.
In fact, the word sell comes from the Old English word ‘sellan,’ which means—you guessed it—“to give.”
This is not how most of us have come to think about sales.
In their best selling book, ‘The Go-Giver’: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea, authors Bob Burg and John David Mann use a fictional story to illustrate a true principle–those who give a lot of value, get a lot in return.
The Law of Value states “your true worth is determined by much more you give in value than you take in payment”. Most people hear that and assume it’s a recipe for bankruptcy—which is the farthest thing from the truth.
The law simply means you must always create, add and give more value than you take in payment.
In life too, or in relationship, as in sales, you need to give more to recieve more. Giving is like sowing seeds and you can enjoy the fruits of the harvest for many years.
In business, Giving is part of the customer experience. Customers like to receive, and when they do they return the “favor” by spending their money with you.
In modern times, we call this The Law of Reciprocity. Zig Ziglar, the late and great motivational speaker summed it up well when he said, “You will get all you want in life if you help other people get what they want.”
The above quote is also something that we, in our business, Sahayak Associates, have made into our core business philosophy and strongly believe in and live by.
Always, always give more in value & stay blessed forever.