INFLUENCE : THE FOUNDATION OF SALES

The essence of sales lies in influence, which motivates others to take an idea seriously and act on it. Simply providing information is seldom enough to persuade someone; it’s the presentation and the presenter that make the difference.

Neuroscientist Gregory Berns states, “A person can have the greatest idea in the world—completely different and novel—but if that person can’t convince enough other people, it doesn’t matter.”

In our technology-driven world, potential customers often form initial impressions about a company, product, or service from online information.

However, this doesn’t diminish the role of salespeople; instead, it underscores their importance. Buyers typically don’t make purchases based solely on online information unless the item is very low-priced and low-risk.

For higher-priced, higher-risk purchases, customers need to interact with a salesperson to make a well-informed and confident decision.

Salespeople must know how to guide buyers through the purchasing process using evidence-based strategies to help them make the right choices.

Studies by the performance measurement firm Chally Group, which analyzed the buying behaviors of over 100,000 decision-makers, highlighted the significant influence salespeople have. They found that the salesperson was a key factor in whether buyers chose one vendor over another. In fact, 53 percent of customer loyalty is attributed not to the product, company, or service but to the behaviors salespeople exhibit during the sales process.

Salespeople fulfill two critical roles:

1. generating customers

2. producing revenue to sustain their organization.
   

With technology enabling buyers to research solutions online before engaging with a seller, salespeople are now entering the buyer’s decision process later than ever before. Data shows that around 60 percent of the buying cycle is completed before a salesperson interacts with a potential client. Given these new realities, salespeople must be flawless, operating in a highly complex and competitive environment where they must contend with competitors for every sale.

To excel in sales today, one must go beyond natural ability.

Carol Dweck, a psychology professor at Stanford University, has conducted several studies on how mindset affects performance. She identified two common mindsets:

1. Fixed Mindset: The belief that abilities cannot be significantly changed.

2. Growth Mindset: The belief that abilities can be improved through effort.

People with a growth mindset see failure as constructive feedback, helping them adapt and enhance their abilities.

Elite salespeople make selling look effortless, not because they’ve always been naturally talented, but because they’ve undergone effective training. This training rewires their brains, forming new clusters of neurons and strengthening existing ones associated with learned behaviors. This process, known as neuroplasticity, makes them more proficient over time.

Salespeople’s success is limited by the quality of their training, which shapes their philosophy of selling, or “sales truth.” These core beliefs determine the sales activities, behaviors, strategies, and skills they employ or disregard. As James Kouzes and Barry Posner from the Leavey School of Business assert, investing in training pays off in the long run because people cannot excel at what they haven’t been taught to do. Upgrading capabilities through training is essential for sales success.

Below is a brief quiz to help you determine your mindset.

Quiz

Which of the following statements do you believe to be true?

1. Your ability to sell is inherent and cannot be changed.

2. Regardless of how skilled you are at sales, there is always room for improvement.

3. You can learn new selling strategies, but your ability to influence others remains largely unchanged.

4. Selling is a skill that can be developed, regardless of your natural talent or personality.

Options 1 and 3 reflect a fixed mindset, whereas options 2 and 4 reflect a growth mindset.

Do these mindsets affect sales results?

Absolutely. The outcomes these mentalities produce are vastly different. Individuals with a growth mindset are much more likely to achieve success than those with a fixed mindset. One key reason a growth mindset drives high achievement is that it changes how the brain perceives failure.

    (The Science of Selling, by David Hoffeld)