In Search of Sales Purpose

Like me, I’m sure you'll have seen all the headlines and read the content about what's being referred to as "The Great Resignation". There are all sorts of contributing factors, but one of the main one’s appears to have grown out of the Pandemic we've all endured over the past couple of years. More of us have taken that time to contemplate our professional lives, and ask ourselves whether or not what we do for work gives us the fulfilment, meaning, and purpose we so long for. For many it seems the answer is a resounding “No. It doesn’t!”

This is an issue for every profession, but for my world of sales I think it’s as much an urgent issue, as it is an exciting opportunity. To illustrate, Digital and Social Selling expert, Graham Hawkins recently shared “A new Gallup analysis suggests that 48% of America's working population is actively job searching or watching for opportunities".?He went on to assert that “….the number of active job seekers inside YOUR sales department is much higher than 48%”. A scary thought for sure.

“….the number of active job seekers inside YOUR sales department is much higher than 48%” - Graham Hawkins, Founder & CEO, SalesTribe

As true as that may be, there’s no assurance that changing job’s is going to deliver a greater sense of fulfilment to all those unsettled seekers of purpose. The phrase “Out of the frying pan into the fire” comes to mind. So, what’s the answer? Well, what if you could change how you approach your current role to experience purpose? What if it's you, rather than your role, or your company, or your boss that generates purpose? You could say the building blocks of purpose have always been embedded into the DNA of sales, we've just lost that connection over the decades, as dysfunctional selling practices have taken hold. So, what if you already have the ability to discover and activate purpose, without having to go searching in the job market? Let me explain.

The Yoda of purpose at work, Aaron Hurst recently shared “According to?McKinsey & Company, 85% of front-line employees and their managers don't believe they can live their purpose at work. Why? At the core of the issue is that the narrative about purpose at work isn't based on science and is harmful.” He continues “Most of what we understand about purpose at work comes from Hollywood. Stories are a powerful way to learn, but most of the stories we see on a screen give us a romanticized view of the role of purpose in our work. They build myths about purpose that actually make it harder for us to focus on what matters.” So, what is purpose?

"At the core of the issue is that the narrative about purpose at work isn't based on science and is harmful." - Aaron Hurst, CEO & Co-Founder, Imperative

Answering that question has been my purpose for more than 10+ years now. I first spoke about my search for sales purpose in the talk below, which I gave at a sales leadership forum in Australia back in 2018. Given the current environment it seemed like a timely opportunity to revisit these messages. You’ll learn more by watching the talk, but in summary the building blocks of purpose are Relationships, Impact, and Growth (RIG). If sales is about anything it’s about these three things. Let's briefly unpack RIG as it relates to sales.

Relationships

Whatever you’re selling, you’re actually in the Relationship building business. This may be a revelation to some, but sales isn’t about you, or your products, or your services. As awesome as you, and they may be. Sales in it's purest, most effective form, is about people, and the relationships between them. I'm not talking about the run of the mill buyer/seller relationship here, we all know how dysfunctional they can be! This is about forming a truly human connection, and all that entails. How meaningful are your relationships?

Impact

You’re also in the business of having an Impact on the people with whom you build those relationships, both personally, and professionally. Have you ever thought about what impact you're making? Are you measuring that impact, or are you just measuring sales made, deals won, revenue generated? Those KPI's may well be relevant to your business, but what your customers care about is the impact you're having on them, and their business. Are you measuring and celebrating the achievement of your customers outcomes?

Growth

Finally, and contrary to common practice, sales is not a set and forget exercise. It’s about continual learning, and Growth. I’ve always loved how Sales Guru Mahan Khalsa captures the essence of growth in sales. He said “....everything you need to know to be great at sales is learnable….the amount you can learn and the degree to which you can improve is infinite....what you learn to be great at sales contributes immensely to who you want to be as a human being.” When was the last time you worked on your sales skills and behaviours? Are you seeking out, and getting the coaching you need?

When viewed through the lens of RIG, you can see how Sales and Purpose are so intimately entwined. If you can embrace that idea. If you can set out to do more than simply make sales, but touch the lives of your customers in meaningful ways. You will achieve so much more by also creating those cherished moments of purpose for every customer you interact with. Moments that in today’s hyper-competitive, low trust, VUCA world, are all too fleeting. As a salesperson you're in a unique position to become a Purveyor of Purpose, elevating the people you speak to, and meet with everyday. Imagine that happening on a global scale, now that's a movement I can get behind.

As a salesperson you're in a unique position to become a Purveyor of Purpose.

The really great news is that Purpose isn’t some kind of mystical level of enlightenment accessible only to the select few who have the time and resources to meditate for years atop a cloud covered mountain in some far of land. It’s a choice we can all make. We can all choose to focus on cultivating more meaningful relationships, on maximising the positive impact we have on other people, and on investing in our personal and professional growth. Purpose isn't out there, it's in you! Of course, knowing that doesn’t mean it’s easy to attain. Change like this is always as hard as it is rewarding. But for me at least it’s liberating to know that I have the power to choose. Whether I do or not is ultimately down to me. Just as the choices you make are ultimately down to you. The tough part isn’t knowing you can choose. It’s actually making the choice! Will you? #Purpose #Sales #Leadership