Not just in my business, but in my personal life, as well. I’m one of those peacemakers, who is always working to smooth the waters. But my family members often accused me of not listening to what they had to say! I couldn’t figure it out!!
After receiving sales training, I began to view my interactions with my family much differently. For example, when my husband and I would talk about money in the past, I kept thinking about my next response, not really listening to his side of the story. Once I started applying the sales process to my marriage, I started seeking to learn more about his perspective. Here are some lessons I’ve learned about how sales can make you a better person.
1. Realize that sales is part of life
. In many conversations we have with people, we seek to understand and be understood. We may need to convince our teenager to clean their room, or create a win/win scenario in our workplace. Each of these situations requires the persuasion skills used in a sales conversation. Understanding that much gives us a good starting point to influence the behavior of other people.2. Sales is other-person centered.Most of our conflicts occur when we only consider our own perspective. True sales is all about serving the person in front of us. When you are having a conversation with your child, are you working to discover what his needs are? Using the same skills to uncover a prospect’s objective can help you uncover your child’s true needs!
3. Create a win/win.
Reputable sales people work to create value in exchange for the cost of services. In the same way, when you are negotiating with a co-worker, consider what can you offer the other person in exchange for their cooperation. Is it a running an errand that they need to take care of? Perhaps it is writing a rough draft for her to edit to save some time. Solve a problem for them so they can help you with yours.
4. Listen to the other person.
Sales is 60% about listening, and 40% about talking. I recently listened to a client talk to a prospect. The prospect tried to say something, but my client kept talking over him. In our conversations with family and friends, are we really taking the time to listen or are we talking over them? So many conflicts would be avoided if we would simply pause when someone takes a breath, and wait for them to finish.
Since studying sales, I’ve become a better listener and a better influencer in my personal life. These skills can help you, too. Sales is really learning to serve others through persuasive communication.
I’m curious. How has sales training helped you in your personal life. I certainly would love to know. Post a comment in the thread below