People don’t buy WHAT you do; they buy WHY you do it.  –Simon Sinek

If you haven’t checked out Simon’s TEDx video, you have to…now. The fact that it is in the top 20 TEDx videos watched is impressive on its own, but what Simon says (couldn’t resist) may seriously challenge your thinking. It has mine.

Let me ask you something…

Can you answer the question, why do you do what you do? I don’t mean what; I don’t mean how…I mean WHY.

Why do you sell cloud computing?

Why do you sell image consulting?

Why do you sell home services like plumbing repair?

Why do you sell books at Barnes and Nobles?

Why do you sell sponsorships to conferences with a cause?

Why do you sell social media marketing?

Why do you sell hotel rooms and conference space?

Why do you sell leadership programs?

Why do you sell coaching?

Why do you sell whatever the next wiz bang technology of the future is going to be?

Get the idea?

Famous leadership and motivational guru’s too numerous to name here have all preached about what they believe inspiring others is all about. Many have complicated theories, elaborate approaches or long lists of the tenets of great leadership.  But I have to say that when I listened to Simon talk about his concept of The Golden Circle, I had a serious “ah ha” moment. The concept is elegant and simple, but don’t be fooled. The concept is quite powerful, and if you, like me, really let the magic of Simon’s words sink in, I’m betting that you can’t help but be challenged to think differently also.

What is your why?

Meet someone at a networking event and ask them about their business and it is quite likely that the answer you receive focuses on “what” the company does and “how” they do it. Pretty standard and sometimes boring approach isn’t it? What’s really that inspiring about either one? What you do is merely the proof of what you believe to be important. The how…well, that’s just the process for getting it done.

Which leads to why…

Why do you do what you do? Simon suggests that using an inside out approach produces far greater results. People buy what you believe he tells us; not as much as what is accomplished or the results delivered. When you focus on the why, you realize that your goal is not about doing business with anyone with a pulse who can buy your product or service. Instead, your goal becomes one about doing business with people who believe what you believe.

There is no way that I can do the matter justice, so I want you to go and watch the video and then….come back and tell me what you think.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4

It has begun. The relentless beating of the negativity drum that our media insists on pounding. Predictable I suppose, but none the less disappointing.

There seems to be a fair amount of desperation out there in the marketplace these days. I’ve had it with the SPAM sales pitches, and if they are being used on me, a small business owner, I’m confident these same salespeople are using these tactics with larger companies too. The only difference is that the “big fish” are probably receiving 10 to 20 times the garbage that I do, because after all, they’ve got bigger bucks to spend and their company name grabs more attention on the client list. If it is a problem for me and it drives me nuts, what do you think these corporate execs you are trying to reach are thinking?

Let me paint a picture for you…

I’m imagining that I’m a key decision maker in the division of a larger company. As I sift through emails in my already over saturated email account, I have to wade through the lame, inarticulate, uncreative; boilerplate sales spam being cranked out over email and through my social networks. I’m thinking…geez, really? This is an embarrassment to the sales profession. I’m thinking that this is why I don’t like dealing with salespeople. You, Mr. or Ms. Salesperson are probably congratulating yourself for all the emails you’ve sent out. You’re confident that something will stick and you’ll book a few appointments. Me, I’m your prospect, and I’m saying to myself…no way that I would ever buy from you.

Salespeople and their managers need to grasp one fundamental concept that is often overlooked. Here it is…buyers today approach the sales process differently. They often start without you! The problem is that far too many salespeople are not adapting, which is simply a recipe for losing out on sales opportunities. As Einstein so aptly put it, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.”

Over the course of the next week, I’m going to talk about 7 critical elements that salespeople need to be thinking about if they hope to achieve quota – month in and month out – in this new world called social selling. That means unlearning most of what you have been taught about how to sell successfully to this point in your sales career. I’m not going to be popular with companies who’ve made their living teaching transactional sales approaches, but I’m not Barbie here to win a popularity contest. I want you to succeed and that is exactly why I wrote a book to bring it all home. Bottom line…I want you to blow the doors off your sales quota and rake in those big fat commission checks!

Here’s what I know…

I’ve been selling professionally (and very successfully) for almost 30 years. For the past 10 years, I’ve consulted with sales organizations of all sizes to help them increase their sales utilizing great sales skills and technology to stomp their competition. I know that sales success in this new world of “information at your fingertips” isn’t about slinging sales hash on the wall and hoping that a few people will talk to you. Nope, your sales success requires that you adapt your approach for each prospect; it requires that you do your homework, and it absolutely requires that you customize your message before hitting the send button.

Yes, you can send 250 random emails and delude yourself into thinking that you are doing a good job. Or, you could actually do your job as a salesperson and target your prospects and craft your messages to suit their needs not yours!

Barb Giamanco and her team consults, trains and coaches sales teams to higher levels of super star sales. For more information on how you can work with Barb call 404-647-4925.

Today marks seven years since I first began using LinkedIn. As a raving fan, I use the networking tool daily for making connections, sharing referrals, prospecting, conducting pre-sales call research and more. It is an amazing sales tool with power far greater than what most people realize, which is why salespeople need to to invest the time to learn how to use LinkedIn effectively.

Making and accepting invitations is the first step in building your network, so I’d like to share 3 brief tips about how to do it the right way. Before I do, I need to tell you that I do not subscribe to the “open networker” philosophy, and I do not say yes to everyone who asks me to connect with them. Our networks are business assets and should be treated as such. If I’m going to allow someone access to my connections, I need to know that I can trust them to behave professionally. I’m about the quality of connections not the sheer number of them.

Ok, now that I’ve set the stage with my feelings about building my network, here are 3 tips for making and accepting LinkedIn invitations.

1. Invite people that you know. LinkedIn’s official policy is that you connect with people that you know. Daily, I receive invitations from people that I’ve never heard of, never met and never conversed with in a LinkedIn group. These invitations usually indicate that we are friends when we aren’t. Or, they suggest that we’ve done business together, which we haven’t. I keep an open mind about connecting with people that I do not know yet, but you have to give me a compelling reason to do so. What’s the benefit to me? That leads me to point number two.

2. Personalize your invitations. I’m pretty much over the standard “I’d like to add you to my LinkedIn network.” Really, why? Why am I a good connection for you and vice versa? The “you are a person that I trust” message also gets under my skin. These invitations are especially irritating when I have no idea who you are. How do you know that you can trust me? The way I see it, if the connection is important to you – stop and take a moment to customize your message. Guess what, I don’t have the time to look up your profile and figure out if we’d be good connections for each other. Other people don’t either. Your job is to make it clear why connecting makes sense for both parties.

3. When you accept a connection, send a personalized message saying “thank you”. It’s a small, but very important way to stand out. In fact, I conducted social media training for a group of salespeople on Wednesday, and one gal in the room said that it bugged her when people never responded to her after connecting. All it takes is a minute to click on “send a message” once you’ve accepted the invite. It lets the other person know that you actually care about being connected.

People buy from people that they know, like and trust. Sales referrals are shared with other professionals for the same reasons. Relationships matter. Remembering that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, make your first LinkedIn interaction count!