Selling From The Heart... It's The Difference Maker Inside A Sales World Full Of Broken Promises.

larry levine Apr 17, 2023
"Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart."
Zig Ziglar

Think about your clients, as I ask you... are you staying true to your words, your actions, and are you leading with a grateful heart?

Keeping one’s promise brings value and simply makes it possible for you to earn respect in a sales world that sorely lacks it.

The expression “Keeping Promise” means doing an act you have previously said to do.

It’s a commitment you make with another person. In sales terms, it's a commitment you make to your clients and your future clients.

It's about keeping your promise. Think of it as a verbal contract between two people.

Let’s all be honest for a moment; the sales world is incredibly inconsistent.

Throughout the years, how many times have your clients be let down by salespeople who say one thing and then do the other? Let's face it, countless times.

Whether you are an executive leader, sales leader or sales individual, if you make a promise to someone, such as your clients, the consequences of breaking said promise could be devastating.

Let's set aside how this affects your relationship, as breaking a promise will damage your credibility.

“Breach of promise is a base surrender of truth.” 
Mahatma Gandhi

So, when you break a simple promise...

  • You may miss opportunities to excel
  • It could damage your client relationships
  • Your clients will refer to you as unreliable
  • Your reputation can trigger adverse results
Keep your promises if you want your clients to perceive you as a reliable and trusted sales professional.

In a world full of busted dreams, broken promises and empty suits... Selling from the Heart becomes the difference maker. It's the commitment one makes to emotionally connect to their clients and future clients.

Why is this so important... it's the human thing to do!

Here is one simple question...

Why can you bring your heart to your personal relationships but leave it at the front door of your professional relationships?

EMOTIONAL CONNECTION, THE PROMISE GLUE

"The essential difference between emotion and reason, is that emotion leads to action, while reason leads to conclusions."
Donald Calne

According to a recent Forrester report, emotion is the most important driver behind the client experience.

For a moment, think about how broken promises adversely affects the client experience.

According to the results of Iterable’s Holiday Quick Poll, 83% of those polled indicated that they were more likely to purchase from a brand that they have an emotional connection with.

Let's replace the word "brand" from the statement above and add in "sales professional" - of those polled indicated that they were more likely to purchase from a sales professional that they have an emotional connection with.

No question about it, emotions play a part in sales. There's the emotional side of your clients and the emotional side of salespeople.

I believe when you are emotionally connected to your clients, you will feverishly act upon your word. Why? Well, it's quite simple, you do not want to let them down. You're invested and they are invested.

Let's take a quick break from reading this...

I would like for you to grab a sheet of paper and a pen. Now, I would like for you to think about your client relationships as well as the potential new opportunities you're working on... And I would like for you to write down the following...

When I break a promise, as little as it might be, how does this affect my ability to foster:

  • Connection
  • Satisfaction
  • Differentiation
  • Trust

If you want to drive exponential sales growth, then I encourage you to get to the heart of what matters with your clients. And stop breaking your promises!

What concerns me is the vast amounts of mediocrity running rampant throughout the sales world.

Average salespeople are a dime a dozen

Truly original, creative thinking, sincere, heartfelt, genuine and trustworthy professionals are hard to find.

This is why Selling from the Heart has struck a chord inside the sales world. It is about bringing honor, dignity, respect and nobility back to the sales profession.

Heartfelt professionals stand out. They are leaders: they build relationships, they connect, they cast vision, they motivate people to take action, and they ooze integrity.

It's about having the heart to rise up

Authenticity, congruency, and keeping one's word in a world full of sales fakes is sorely lacking.

If you're your authentic self, you have no competition

Are you ready to become the change maker?

What makes these sales professionals different from all the other sales reps?

They keep their promises. They stay true to who they are. They are congruent. They see the big picture. They are heartfelt, genuine and they give a rip!

No alt text provided for this image
Click on the image to grab your copy of Selling from the Heart

SELLING FROM THE HEART, PROMISE KEEPERS

A selling from the heart professional is committed. They are all in!

Ecclesiastes 5:5 (ERV) says “It is better to promise nothing than to promise something and not be able to do it.”

Therefore, if you know in your heart that you aren’t going to do something, then don’t say you are.

What characterizes these heartfelt professionals? They are promise keepers.

THEY ARE AUTHENTIC TO THE CORE

Authenticity is one of the biggest challenges for salespeople in a profession riddled with unscrupulous, fake and disingenuous sales reps; that quite frankly many despise. However, authenticity separates sales professionals from sales reps, and this is what your clients crave!

Authenticity is about being congruent. Does your walk match your talk? This directly affects your ability to keep your promise.

It's about moving from being seen as untrustworthy to being seen as authentic, genuine and trustworthy. This all starts with simply keeping your promises.

This requires vulnerability. You must be willing to get vulnerable with yourself. To build relationships and change the way people think, you need to understand who you are and what goods you bring to the table. 

If you struggle to connect to the emotional side of who you are, you will struggle to connect to the emotional motivators of your clients.

Authenticity requires self-knowledge and self-awareness. A Selling from the Heart professional accepts their strengths and weaknesses. They are accountable to themselves.

They are deeply connected to their values and desires. They act deliberately in ways consistent with those qualities.

Plain and simple, at the core of a Selling from the Heart professional lies one word... CARE!

Never trade your authentic self for approval and never break a promise

THEY ARE FULLY PRESENT

A Selling from the Heart professional is self-aware and is highly capable of moving from being disconnected to being present in the moment.

A Selling from the Heart professional continually works to hone in their craft. They are not lost in the anxiety about hitting quota or where the next meeting may come from, they are present in the moment.

In client meetings, they connect through intentional and active listening.

How many in sales are present in the moment during their client meetings?

Unfortunately, many in sales are not present. You all may be present in your meetings but how many of you are truly present in your conversations?

I believe this is why many are breaking promises and not acting upon their word, many are simply not present in conversations, nor are they truly listening.

Being present in the moment is all about showing you care!

Give your clients the gift of being present

THEY ARE PROMISE KEEPRS

These professionals are lovingly firm with their words, and they are intentional.

They say what they mean, and they mean what they say. It's that simple.

Matthew 5:37 (ERV) tells us, “Say only ‘yes’ if you mean ‘yes,’ and say only ‘no’ if you mean ‘no.’

If you make a promise, keep your promise! 

When you say you’re going to do something simply act on it!

Never make a promise you can’t keep. Keep every promise you make and only make promises you can keepWhen you keep your word, you’re a person of integrity.

Integrity is about being faithful to the words you speak and the promises you make to your clients.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Your promise leads to an expectation, and that expectation leads to prediction. And this what is going on inside the minds of your clients.

So before making promises, however minor it may be, consider the long-term impact this will have on your reputation.

As we wrap up our time together, please reflect as I ask you:

  • What have you promised to one of your clients lately that you have yet to fulfill?
  • What's preventing you from accomplishing the thing you promised?

Remember, following through and keeping your word matters.

Originally published on Larry Levine's LinkedIn.

 

Pre-order Selling From the Heart on Barnes & Noble get over $300 in Bonus Items!

Learn More

Stay connected with news and updates!

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.

We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.