Think Like A Customer

Think like a customer, not a salesman.

In my over forty years in business, the most frequent failure I see in people conducting sales functions (after forgetting to ask for the business) is that they seem to think as a salesman rather than a customer.

Why do they need to transform their thinking? Because today (as always) salespeople are in the business of providing solutions to problems, answers to challenges and help with opportunities. How can they do that if they are consumed with questions like “do they have money to spend” and “am I talking to the right level” and even “do they have a need for my product”? This is all great sales management questions and we expect our salespeople to get the answers for us to help us ensure our teams are focused on where the business is most likely to come from. But don’t for a minute believe that this activity is actually selling. As a professional salesperson we need to ask these questions in support of a professional sales organization managing its resources and spending them wisely, but this is not selling.