[E4] Week 1: Why Do You Sell?

Welcome to Episode 4 of The Sales Experience Podcast. My name is Jason Cutter and I created this podcast as a vehicle to help change the trajectory of the sales profession.

While the transparency that comes with the internet and a globally connected world with instant access to company reviews is also a way for customers to post their good and bad feedback, it is still imperative that sales professionals, their managers, and the owners of companies that rely on sales of their product or service be focused on the sales experience.

Like they say, people don’t remember what you said, they remember how you made them feel. How you move your prospects to customers and the experience they had is often overlooked, especially by sales reps and managers who are focused on the short-term results of closing deals today, and not the long-term consequences.

I have been in sales and sales leadership for over 16 years. I have had a very unusual and windy path through life. I know I mentioned in Episode One that I wasn’t going to take your time just blabbing about myself…I do want to share a bit on this episode to set up why it all matters.

Just covering the headline highlights of my adult working life I have worked in restaurants for over 5 years – the front and back of house. Worked at Microsoft doing tech support for two years which ended as they started to outsource to India and China. Working in the mortgage business. Helped distressed homeowners avoid losing their home to foreclosure. Helped people in massive amounts of credit card debt get into credit counseling.  Helped people who were struggling with student loans. Spent the better part of 4 years working as a civilian contractor deployed overseas on projects supporting the military. I have an MBA with an emphasis on Operations Management. Oh…and my bachelor’s degree is in Marine Biology with a focus on sharks.

I have been a sales person, sales manager, run big teams, small teams, started new offices. Like I said, I have a windy path. The reason I share this is that it took me until I was 38 years old to realize what I wanted to be when I grew up. Sales and Operations management, utilizing my talents, experiences and abilities to help others achieve their goals and improve their life.

Whether that is prospects directly, sales reps, teams or organizations. This is what gets me up every day.

This is WHY I do what I do.

The question is – why are you in your sales role? It might be something purpose-driven like mine. Or it could be as a means to an end…to make money that allows you to get or do the things you want. Whether it’s buying a new car, going on a vacation, moving out of your parent’s house, buying your own home, buying a new phone, paying off debt, providing for your family – whatever it is there are two rules. First – no judgment.

Whatever you choose is important to you, and shouldn’t be compared to what others are striving for. Just because you sit next to a single mother who needs to close deals to take care of her kids doesn’t mean that your goal of buying a new car is any less important. It is important to you – that is all that matters.

Second rule – It must be important. Meaning, you have to feel it as deep inside as possible. It’s got to be what drives you in this moment. And it is not always about money…but it has to be personal to you.

And please know I am not talking about purpose. This is about knowing your point of being on the planet. I don’t think that’s possible, as our purpose is always shifting as we go through life. I am talking about why you get up each day, go to work, and want to be successful in your sales role. 

Like I said, I went through a whole bunch of life without knowing what I wanted, and my life is still moving and shifting about. But I know my WHY.

So WHY is a WHY so important? Your reason for working, helping others, and making money will help you in two ways. The first is that it will help you get through the tough times.

When you don’t close that deal you were working on, or that prospect hangs up on you, or you have left 50 voicemails so far today, or you can’t seem to sell a car this week to save your life…your WHY will push you forward until you win again. If you don’t really have a good enough reason or goal or purpose…then at the first sign of struggle or defeat you will quit.

Your WHY will drive you to make that 51^st call today. It will push you to get up tomorrow, go into the dealership, and give it your all for one more day. It will help you handle the rejection from the prospect you thought was surely going to buy. It will push you to keep on keeping on, and from an intrinsic place deep inside that doesn’t require your manager to bribe you or yell at you.

And why is your WHY important to the sales experience? Because when you know what your are working for and why you are getting up, you won’t quit. And if you are selling a product or service that helps improve your prospect’s life, physically or emotionally, then the worst thing you can do is quit because then you can’t be of service to the people who need your expertise.

What if that 51^st call, or 75^th call, or 10^th person to fill out the form on your website today is the one that you could sell? What if you could truly impact their life? What if that deal helps you get one step closer to your goals?

If you aren’t sure what your WHY is your homework is to spend time thinking about it. Journal, talk to someone close to you who knows you really well, do some soul searching.

Spend some time figuring it out. It’s important. If you do know your WHY, then make it a part of your daily routine to think about it. I have always been a fan of sales people having a vision board at their desk with images and quotes to display their goals as a reminder of WHY they are focused on closing more deals.

Wow – that was some emotional stuff. I bet you didn’t know we were going there with this podcast. Well we did. And hopefully it helps you create the work life that you want as well as the best sales experience possible for your customers.

Until next time, always remember that everything in life is sales and people will remember the experience you gave them.Some short text that can be expanded to show more details. Description for this block. Use this space for describing your block. Any text will do. Description for this block. You can use this space for describing your block.