Today - we had an interesting course as part of our client relationships class. It was my first sales class. And it wasn't totally what I expected.
I thought sales courses would be about how to influence people, manage the customer lifecycle, and "close" sales. I don't know why I expected that, this is Northwestern, after all.
It was a decidedly "human" spin on sales. It focused on trust, integrity, and bringing value to the customer - whether or not it resulted in a dollar made.
My key takeaway?
Meet people where they are. Everyone comes to the table battling organizational needs (keeping costs down, making others happy) and personal needs (trust, integrity, flexibility) in a client relationship. Fully understanding that balance helps to create a solid partnership with the person you're working with. It lets them know that at the end of the day, you want them to walk away better than when they came to you - regardless of closing a sale.
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