Dreaming Bigger about Business
July 21st, 2010
By Tom Reilly, author of “Value-Added Selling”
How big do you think for and about your customer? This is another way of asking, “Are you thinking about their business or the next order?”
Some salespeople are real business partners. They think, plan, and execute their growth strategies for customers as if they were an important part of the customer’s team. Other salespeople are transaction focused. They go from order to order. Professional selling is more than hustling orders.
If you are serious about this job and concerned about the impact you have on the customer’s world, you are more focused on making a difference than making a deal. Deal guys come and go. Those who make a difference are in it for the long haul.
This is Value-Added Selling. Value-added salespeople are energized by the work, not just the order. Do not misunderstand me: It is exciting to get the order, but it is exhilarating to have a real impact on the customer’s business. Meaningful work is a powerful motivator and an important component of a successful career. When you believe that your work is important and extract meaning from it, you approach it with passion and enthusiasm. Without meaningfulness, you are cheating yourself of one of the most important purposes of work.
Transaction salespeople—those who go from order to order—too narrowly define success. They fail to dream big enough for their customers and for themselves. They concentrate on the next purchase order versus helping customers achieve higher levels of success at whatever they do. Instead of thinking about how much more you can sell to a customer, think about how you can bring them more value. If you bring them more value, you will sell more.
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