Sales. Leadership.
What is leadership?
What is the definition of leadership?
And…based on how you answered that in your head – if you were able to come up with anything at all – versus what is online as official definitions, unofficial opinions, what is in thousands of books, articles, videos, presentations…Why is it so hard to create a standard definition?
Here is my definition of a leader:
“A person with the ability to inspire others to be a part of a shared vision of a better future, enrolling them into the mission where it will result in a benefit to everyone involved.”
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What is sales?
This one is a bit simpler as a collective group to define.
It’s generally viewed as the act of getting someone to buy and/or helping someone buy.
In the old school, gross, manipulation filled sales model it’s about doing whatever it takes to get someone to buy and hopefully not look back.
To me, as the guy who wrote a book about Authentic Persuasion®, I believe that sales and selling is about helping someone get to a better place. In their life, in their business.
It’s about service – something you do for and with them, not to them.
What about leadership and sales together?
Well, when most people think of those two terms combined, they picture that person who is in charge of running a sales team. That person with the goals, the reports, the carrot and the stick, a dry erase board to tally sales on.
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What most salespeople don’t realize is that their role is about leadership.
Going back to my definition, as a leader, if your focus is to inspire action for someone to enroll into a mission towards a better future that benefits everyone – that is literally the role of a sales professional.
Think about it:
- You have a potential customer who has a need,
- It’s not always about getting out of pain, but always about getting to a better place/situation/state,
- Your first mission is to identify the intersection of their need/desire and your offering(s) (we call this the ‘discovery’ step),
- Once you know they have a square peg need/problem/etc. and you have the square peg solution, then you share what you have to offer,
- Next, you enroll them into the mission – in this case, the mission is helping them buy from you for their reasons (not yours alone!),
- Sub-bullet note…when you “enroll” someone you align that person’s vision of a better future with your vision and your offering (way different than “selling” someone),
- Lastly, they must take action. Without action there is no completed transaction,
- Another sub-bullet note…without action in the moment you have a pipeline full of hope. In car sales, they call it the “Be Back” Bus that will bring the people back once they have decided (“What happened with that person?” “Don’t worry, they said they would Be Back.”).
With that basic sales framework, you can see that sales is truly leadership. Leadership of that prospect. You have a mission and vision of a better future (for them), and you want to lead them there.
Leadership is about setting a course and pulling people along on the journey with you.
Sales, when done right (yes…I said it – which means there is a wrong…and I know that I know that everyone has experienced wrong sales strategies being done to them), it’s about pulling the prospective customer along the journey with you.
Not pushing.
Not tricking.
Not bribing with discounts.
Not begging.
Not hoping.
But being the leader that they want to follow across the finish line.
Sales is leadership.
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As soon as you realize this principle, your role as a salesperson becomes so much simpler and you are on the path towards actually becoming a sales professional who leads prospects and doesn’t push them.
Until that point, you are just a salesperson. Yes – there are salespeople who make a lot of money, but I would argue they aren’t sales professionals.
Oh, final foot note…topic for another article – if sales is leadership, then by definition leadership is sales, enrolling, persuasion.
Listen to an audio version of this article below.
Voiced by the Author, Jason Cutter.
Jason Cutter, CEO of Cutter Consulting Group, is a mindset and scalability expert focused on developing Authentic Persuaders®. Even though his bachelor’s degree is in Marine Biology, he knows what it takes to be successful in sales and build profitable teams. His books, podcasts, training workshops and speaking are focused on helping sales professionals close more deals, make more money, and produce scalable results.
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Header Image Credit: Andrea Piacquadio. Find it here.
