It wasn’t that long ago that the Drink and Drive campaigns, the QUIT smoking campaigns, the LIFE BE IN IT campaigns became part of our social landscape – pulling into line those that who needed to watch their health, their safety and their wellbeing.
And little by little, business took these same initiatives to a new level, now consciously aware of the risks to their people from a duty of care perspective. Fridges were filled with yoghurts, fruit bowls appeared in offices, 15 minute massages on a Thursday were introduced to improve the productivity of staff, yoga classes were being embraced, philosophical memes replaced the quotes on the paper ‘day calendars’ we used to flip each morning. Coaching began to take on a corporate function outside of the sports arena for management and the odd rising star, all designed to capture the tential for improved human performance and potential.
Out of these changes and awareness of the importance our values play in life and in our working orld, more and more businesses began embracing the need and desire to ‘do the right thing’ socially, environmentally and economically.
We are now seeing a rise in organisations embracing the Conscious Capitalism movement where the combination of profit and purpose is intertwined, where shareholders and stakeholders have a more firmer grip on reality and where real meaning accompanies the money conversations.
We are seeing organisations like Google create internal programs for their staff such as ‘Search Inside You’ subscribing to the benefits of practicing mindfulness in addition to outsourcing these personal leadership tools to other organisations around the globe.
The power of focussing on not just what the job entails or even methodologies on how to do the job, or even the why behind the culture, but really zoning in on who the person needs to be – drilling into that core of values and real motivation.
This is where a company knows it will get the results that are real and sustainable. Emotional competency is a skill just like product knowledge and processes. It is a skill that is also trainable and coachable and the smart companies know this. They are leading their people to grow and
contribute.
So what about the new breed of salesperson?
The stereotypical salesperson who painted themselves as this jugular attacking parasite out to con the nearest and next prospective victim is becoming less and less.
And the buyer who sees them that way is also becoming less and less because the new buyer, acutely aware of what they want and why, has different expectations of today’s salesperson and demands more and leaves no choice for the salesperson to step up and play a bigger game.
The new salesperson who fills those shoes is the good guy.
- Is able to have a conversation that is respectful, filled with conviction and has the ability to ask questions designed to make the buyer think.
- The new salesperson has the innate desire to want to know what’s really important, by not just having a value conversation, but a values based conversation.
- Ultimately the new salesperson wants to help their customer grow their business and contribute at the highest order – they are the good guy because they genuinely care.
Do they exist? Yes.
Find out – Answer your next call, open the next knock on your door, give the next salesperson the benefit of your doubt and allow them the chance to show you how much of a good guy they really are by allowing them that conversation to show you they really care – that they are just like you!