A Recap on Authentic Selling 101

3 years ago I wrote on Facebook that whenever I pass by a restaurant anywhere in the wrold that claims that they is serves “authentic” cuisine, I always wonder. Is it really authentic? Sadly, the answer is usually not so much. If you have to say it, you probably aren’t

A similar question about authenticity arose (a month before I wrote this) in the DevRel community. DevRel is short for Developer Relationships, folks tasked with advocating and helping developers use their companies’ products.

A well-known developer (Stephanie Hurlburt) with a pretty large Twitter following decided to candidly share her thoughts with this though:

Unpopular opinion: In theory I'm fine with the role of Developer Advocate, but in practice it so often involves being a social media influencer-- but on behalf of just one big corporation-- without being honest about that fact. Unfollowing DevRel folks here has been a good move.

Understandably this upsets a bunch of people, leading to much heated discussions and blog posts and consternation. Basically they objected to being labeled as faux developers and undercover salespeople. The perception, right or wrong, is that they are not authentic.

Back in the restaurant world, you might have heard of the term "farm-to-table". Menus now include the names of the farms each dish's main ingredients originated from. This is to emphasize the fact that they are sourcing product from quality producers and to show it is the genuine article. You will see a similar thing in restaurants here in SE Asia where they will show you the live fish before cooking. They just want to make sure you know that the food is authentic.

In sales, it should technically be easy to be authentic. Your intentions are clear (you are there to sell) and you have a product that fulfills certain needs using particular features. Particularly in this day and age when more information and user reviews are available publicly, there is nothing to hide. However we often fail at this simple premise.

Let's take a quick quiz. Do you happen to do any of the following:

• Send non-personalized emails or LinkedIn invites?
• Ask prospects how they are doing without actually caring how they are?
• Have little actual knowledge about the client's business and industry?
• Demonstrate a lack of preparation and agenda for meetings?
• Tell a white lie about a product’s features or use?
• Plow ahead with calls and demos without taking time to listen to the prospects?
• Neglect to thank your team after a deal closes for their help?
• Stay in contact with client's after the sale?

This is not some holier-than-thou slap in the face to you. Because when I look at this list, I see things I have done in the past that have been less than authentic. We are humans and we all have the same struggles.

However we can all improve on being more authentic in our selling. It comes from an internal drive to be selfless and to have empathy for others. When we can think of others before ourselves, we can genuinely see our actions in a different light and be motivated to change. Before you engage any prospect, think “how would they view the situation about what I say?”.

The other thing about being more authentic is being true to yourself. Many people have a personal life that is separated from their professional life. But people want to connect with real people. Therefore try to merge some of what is unique and personal about you into your professional persona. This is why I share my Instagram feed with customers and my LinkedIn profile is fairly public (and feel free to connect or follow, all are welcome).

You cannot fake authenticity. Prospects smell fakes before they even walk through the door. So my last piece of advice is realize the fact that prospects already have their guard up, make sure everything you say is accurate and follow up on what you promise. Nothing destroys trust faster than not following through or making up stuff. A simple “I don’t know but I will find out” can defuse a very sticky situation but you can only do this a few times before you need to pick up real firefighting skills.

And before we end this article, Kalsang Tanzin of LinkedIn once shared an interesting perspective about sales several years ago. People think what makes for great sales is talking really good and compelling people to buy. But the sales folks behind the Fyre Festival in 2017 were not selling, they were conning people. Great salespeople positively impact people’s lives. You can only do that if you sell with authenticity.

Good luck hunting and farming