Why is it that some sales professionals consistently outperform others? In this episode of the Selling in Asia Podcast, Tom Abbott sits down with Jim Cathcart to discuss what it takes to succeed in sales. Jim Cathcart is a sales expert, hall-of-fame speaker, and author of ‘Relationship Selling.’
Join their discussion to find out precisely what the traits of a great sales professional are, the real purpose of selling, how relationship selling works, the Acorn principle, and specifically, what to avoid when undergoing a tough time in sales
“After 43 years of working with companies around the world in virtually every industry, the thing that I’ve observed is those that succeed are those who decided to and are willing to pay whatever the price was within reason to get there.”
Jim cathcart
Traits of Great Sales Professionals | How To Succeed In Sales
A great sales professional is self-made. They’re willing to endure disappointment and difficulty to have to find solutions beyond their strength. For instance, in many cases, you have to reach out or find a system or an app or something to do the things you’re not exceptionally skilled in. A great sales professional is willing to do that and step outside of their skills.
However, those who fail in selling usually rely on their ability to talk, and whilst this is essential to growing a relationship with prospects, great sales professionals can go beyond this.
Their preparation is exceptional, which means they gain trust, assess needs, and solve prospects’ problems effortlessly. Many salespeople think selling is telling, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The most effective salespeople are a great curiosity for people who ask great questions.
What is Relationship Selling? | How To Succeed In Sales
When Jim first introduced this concept in the 1980s, Relationship Selling didn’t exist, and they saw relationship and selling as separate words.
The term relationship connotated thoughts of love, romance, and intimacy, which was a stark comparison to selling – which was cold, calculated, and transactional.
Suppose you start taking an interest in each other and then begin assisting each other, even from holding a door open to offering an idea to solving a problem.
That relationship becomes more and more valuable, and the person wants to hang on to it to sustain this over time.
This begs the question, why don’t we approach every relationship in business that way? We should make relationships an item that we track and develop through a predictable set of steps in a system.
Then, we sell so that we have the connection at the end instead of just the closed deal.
Also read:
The Acorn Principle | How To Succeed In Sales
In a nutshell, the Acorn is the oak tree’s seed, and an oak tree is one of the most common trees on earth.
An oak tree that does exceptionally well becomes a giant spreading mighty oak that lasts for hundreds of years and produces literally millions of little acorns; the seeds of potential future trees will serve as a resource for the wildlife inhabiting it. Therefore, an Acorn is a universal symbol of potential.
What do acorns have to do with sales? To succeed in sales, we need to nurture our nature; in other words, don’t ever try to change your personality.
Instead, figure out what you’re gifted at but haven’t yet cultivated fully and specialize in that! Your progress will come quicker, your results will be better, and you’ll be content. Instead of doing something artificial, the Acorn principle is a book that teaches people how to discover what makes them who they are.
We need to know what we deeply care about in terms of our natural values that motivate our life choices, relationships, and careers.
More about Jim Cathcart
Cathcart.com
Jim Cathcart on LinkedIn
Jim Cathcart on YouTube
Jim Cathcart on Instagram
Whether you believe you will fail or succeed – you’re right.
The secret to success in sales starts with having the right mindset.
You need to learn how to stay motivated when the economy slows down, when customers say no and when things aren’t going their way.
It’s often a strong sense of internal motivation that separates the top performers from the underachievers, which is why we consider mindset to be the foundation of sales excellence.
In this course, Mindset For Sales Success, we cover everything from common pitfalls to avoid when managing remote teams to effective communication and remote teams and methods of keeping staff motivated while working from home.
The secret to success in sales starts with having the right mindset.
You need to learn how to stay motivated when the economy slows down, when customers say no and when things aren’t going their way.
Often, a strong sense of internal motivation separates the top performers from the underachievers, which is why we consider mindset to be the foundation of sales excellence.
In this course, Mindset For Sales Success, we cover everything from common pitfalls to avoid when managing remote teams to effective communication and remote teams and methods of keeping staff motivated while working from home.