In the last post, we talked about the importance of being a humble HERO.  Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to observe the effects of humility in your sales day.  So let’s move on to the next characteristic on the list of HERO traits: ethical behavior.

Should we call out the Myth Busters or the folks at Coast to Coast AM?  After all, there’s no such thing as an ethical salesperson, right?  Wouldn’t you expect to see something like that in the same room as Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster?  Strange as it might sound, I want to assure you that there are, in fact, a lot of ethical salespeople out there; we’re doing our best to make sure there are many more.

How can I say that, though, when most of us have been manipulated by a salesperson into buying something we didn’t really want or need, followed almost immediately by feelings of “buyer’s remorse”?  What about all of the people feeling this pain right now as they see their mortgage payments double, all because an unethical mortgage salesperson talked them into buying a product that really wasn’t right for them?  Unfortunate as these encounters are, I’d like to think they are the exception, not the rule.  They just happen to stick in our memories for a lot longer than the good experiences we’ve had.  So how can you be sure you are an ethical salesperson, a true HERO of the economy?

First, understand that being ethical means doing the right thing for your customer, always.  No questions, no hesitation.  You just do the right thing.  This can be difficult at times, especially when the right thing to do is to not sell your product to the customer in front of you.  Being ethical means having the courage to say “You know, I really don’t think this a good fit for your situation” and to refer them to someone else, even a competitor, who can help.  The reward, though, is immense.  Not only will you sleep better at night, you’ll probably also get great referral business from that person.

Second, you have to remember that, contrary to popular belief, ethics are not situational.  Your ethics are decided upon by you ahead of time, and you stick by them under all circumstances and conditions.  There are, of course, going to be times when someone points out a flaw in your reasoning and you make an adjustment in your beliefs; that’s called flexibility and it makes you a better business person.  For the most part, though, your ethics are going to be pretty solid.  They have to be.

This is why having a mission statement for your business is a good idea.  Your mission statement is the constitution for your business.  It is the law that you abide by, whether you like it in a particular situation or not.  If you haven’t already taken the time to create a mission statement for your business, do it now.  While you’re at it, create one for your personal life, as well.  You won’t believe the power this one simple act will produce.  This will become the code you’ll abide by from here forward.

If you want to really be a HERO of the economy, just operate by one simple rule: always do what’s best for your customer.   If you can adopt that simple code of ethics, you will be part of the solution.

After reading yesterday’s post, “What Is HERO Selling?“, my friend Skip Anderson asked the question, “Why is being humble important?”  That’s a great question, and I’ll attempt to provide a satisfactory answer in today’s post.  After you read it, let me know what you think by leaving your comments below.

One of the first things you’ll notice when you deal with a HERO salesperson is that he or she is humble.  Actually, you won’t so much notice the humility as you will notice the lack of it’s opposite: arrogance.  While many of the salespeople you are used to dealing with are, for the most part, arrogant know-it-alls, the HERO is noticeably different.  How, though, is being  humble an advantage in your sales career?

Well, think about that arrogant salesperson for a moment.  How do you, as a consumer, feel when someone shows up at your door to show you a “better way” of doing things using their product or service, then implies that if you don’t buy TODAY, you’re an idiot?  It puts you off a little, doesn’t it?  After all, you were doing just fine before this so-and-so showed up, and you’re pretty sure you’ll continue to do okay without him and his widget.  So then, here’s the question: how do your customers feel when you insist that your product or service is a “better way” of doing things in their business?

You get the point.  Implying, let alone saying outright, that you know better than your customer is a sure-fire way to get their hackles up.  This isn’t to say that your product or service isn’t a better solution for the customer’s need.  You just can’t say that it is.  You have to lead your prospects to arrive at that conclusion on their own.  How do you, the HERO, do that?

Easy: you ask.  That’s right: if you want to demonstrate that you are humble, just ask a lot of questions.  Asking questions demonstrates to your prospect or customer that you trust them to know how to run their business and that you acknowledge that you’ve got something to learn from them.  Let them do the instructing and you take the role of student.  How does this help you sell your product?

By allowing your customer to do the talking, you are going to learn a great deal about them and their business.  You’ll learn what they like and dislike.  You’ll learn about what other solutions they’ve tried in the past, as well as why they are currently using the product they are.  You’ll learn what they like about that product, as well as what they’d like to see improved.  All of that information is what you’ll then use to build a solution that truly fits the prospect’s need.

Does this approach involve more work than trying to “pitch” your pre-packaged solution?  You bet it does!  Then again, nobody said being a HERO was going to be easy!

Simply stated, HERO Selling requires the salesperson to be Humble, Ethical, Responsible and Optimistic.  I know that’s not the way most people are used to thinking of those in sales, but my mission is to make a believer of you.

You see, the reason you don’t think HERO is an accurate description of a salesperson is that precious few salespeople actually behave that way on a consistent basis.  But here’s a secret: the best ones do!! In fact, you’ve probably encountered many of these HEROs and weren’t even aware that you were being sold to.  Truth be told, you weren’t actually being sold to, at least not in the sense that the word has come to mean (i.e. being coerced to buy something against your will).  The HERO wasn’t selling so much as he or she was making it comfortable for you to buy.  And that, my friends, is the key to being a HERO.

More than anything, what the economy needs right now is for more people to feel comfortable buying again.  At the moment, people in general are very reluctant to part with any of their money out of fear for the day when they won’t have anymore to spend.  What happens if this trend continues? More shrinkage, more cutbacks, and even more bad news. What the world needs now is consumers, and it’s up to the salespeople of the world to gently coax them out of their shells.

Does this mean that I think salespeople should be trying to convince people to buy things they don’t need or can’t afford?  No.  All we have to do is look at the mortgage crisis to see where that kind of behavior leads.  What I do mean is that we, the salespeople of the world, have to make it OK for people to buy the things they do want, need and can afford.  And we need to do it now!

So, are you ready to embark on our HEROic mission?  Great!  I’m glad to have you along.  Over the next few days, we’ll analyze each characteristic of the HERO salesperson.  As we do, think about how these principles can be applied in your business, starting right now!  When we’re done with that, I’ll be asking for your help in a special campaign for the launch of a new website all about HERO Selling and the people who make it possible: YOU.

Whenever I have the chance to speak to groups, I always start by asking the following question: “Who loves salespeople?” You might be surprised to find (or maybe you won’t be) that I’m often the only person in the room with my hand raised. This has even happened when I’m speaking to groups composed entirely of salespeople! Why is that the case?

For the most part, people really, really hate to be sold to. Think of the last time someone tried to sell something to you; did you enjoy the experience? Even if you were there specifically to buy something, the answer is probably “No”. There is just something about being sold to that sets off a defensive reaction. We feel that if we’re not careful, we’re going to be taken advantage of. Salespeople, on the whole, have a nasty reputation. That said, you might find what I’m about to say a little offensive: no matter what you do, you are in sales, or at the very least, sales adjacent!

That’s right: no matter what line of work you are in, if you provide a product or a service that other people pay you for, you are either in sales or a sales support role. Bottom line. No arguments to the contrary will be accepted. Selling is the primary function of business. Think about it: if you don’t sell anything, can you really say you’re in business?

So we’ve got a bit of a dilemma: no one, including you, likes to be sold to; at the same time, without sales you have no business. How can you reconcile this quandary? That’s where HERO Selling comes in. You see, the reason no one likes to be sold to and that everyone hates salespeople is simple: many “traditional” selling methods (and the salespeople who still use them) are offensive, brutish and outdated. You know the routine:

                             “What can I do to make sure you drive out of here in this car…TODAY?”
                              “If price weren’t an issue, would you buy…TODAY?”
                              “How many of these widgets would you like to order…TODAY?”

Just hearing the questions makes you cringe, right? You automatically feel hemmed in, backed into a corner and defensive. So why do people still use these tactics? Simply stated, they just don’t know any better. Their managers are so busy pushing for “results” that they never bother to teach them how to treat people.

So what can you do to be different? How can you make sure that you (or the salespeople who work for you or with you) don’t heap this kind of abuse on your prospects and customers? You can become a HERO!  What’s a HERO, you ask? Stay tuned for more…