I believe sales is not a 'job of selling,' but a 'job of helping people'

Last time, I wrote about the time my company president was handing out tissues in front of the station on a rainy day.

That day, what moved me wasn't that the president was selling something.

It was because, to protect the employees, he didn't leave it to anyone else and stood in front of the station on his own two feet.

Seeing that, I thought, 'I will follow this person.'

Looking back now, the origin of my belief that sales is 'helping people' might have been in that very scene.

Is sales a 'job of pushing products'?

When people hear 'sales,' I think many imagine a 'job of pushing products.'

Chasing numbers, explaining products, and closing contracts.

Of course, that is also a part of sales.

As it is a job, results are necessary, and if you don't generate numbers, the company won't survive.

Without profit, you cannot continue to help people.

But I believe the essence of sales is not just 'selling.'

Sales is a job of finding out what the person in front of you is struggling with.

What are they feeling anxious about?

What do they really want to become?

What is it that they can't organize and are stuck on?

Finding that together and creating a trigger to move forward.

I believe that is the essence of sales.

When I was able to sell, it wasn't when I was the one talking

Since I was young, I have liked talking to people.

I liked customer service, and I enjoyed conversations with customers.

Thankfully, I was able to achieve results in sales jobs.

I chased numbers every month, met goals, and was desperate to sell on the front lines.

I haven't only done 'clean' sales.

I worked in the trenches, earned my keep through legwork, and reached out again even after being rejected.

I have also done what is called 'door-to-door' sales for a long time.

That is precisely why I think I understand, to some extent, the difficulty of sales, the pain of chasing numbers, and the severity of producing results on the front lines.

However, back then, I didn't think as deeply as I do now about 'why I am selling.'

Because I like to talk.

Because I can explain products.

Because I have momentum.

There were parts of me that thought just that much.

But as I stood on the front lines for a long time, my way of thinking changed little by little.

The times when you can sell are not when you are talking one-sidedly.

It is when the other person talks with peace of mind.

It is when the other person's anxiety is slightly lightened.

It is when they think, 'It seems okay to listen to this person.'

I think that is when, as a result, a product or service is chosen.

What is important in sales is not to out-argue the other person or to persuade them completely.

It is the attitude of trying to understand the other person.

Treating them with a smile.

Greeting them properly.

Having respect for the other person.

Listening without interrupting.

Thinking from the other person's perspective.

None of these are special things.

But as you get used to the job, these basics can sometimes crumble.

I myself haven't always been able to do 'clean' sales

Chasing numbers too much.

Being too impatient for a contract.

Prioritizing my own convenience.

When that happens, before looking at the other person, I only think about selling.

At that moment, I think sales stops being about helping people and gets closer to pushy sales.

I myself haven't been able to do clean sales from the beginning.

There were times when I was desperate to produce results and prioritized only making numbers.

There were also times when I relied too much on my own 'ability to sell.'

Looking back now, there are scenes where I think I could have looked at the other person's feelings more.

That is why I strongly believe now.

Sales techniques alone are not enough.

Without an attitude of facing people, you cannot build long-lasting trust.

I don't like being pushed, so I don't want to push

To be honest, I don't like being pushed.

That's why I don't want to push either.

Of course, since it is a job, I make proposals.

If I think it is necessary, I will tell them clearly.

If I feel it is necessary for the other person, I will sometimes give them a push.

But that is not to get a contract, but because I think it is necessary for that person or that company.

Conversely, if I think it is truly unnecessary, I won't force it.

If you sell something that doesn't fit, it might become a number on the spot.

But trust will not remain.

I believe sales is not a job that ends with a single contract.

One conversation.

One interaction.

One act of consideration.

The accumulation of those things later becomes trust.

And because there is trust, the next consultation is born, referrals are born, and a long relationship is born.

I believe that is the kind of job sales is.

People who 'hate pushing' are actually suited for sales

Now, I am involved in sales improvement consulting and sales training.

What I want to convey there is not just how to sell.

How to talk to sell.

What kind of talk gets a contract.

Those techniques are, of course, important.

But I think there is something more important before that.

Do you have respect for the person in front of you?

Are you listening properly to the other person's story?

Are you thinking for the other person, not for your own convenience?

Sales ability is not just about being good with words.

I think it is the ability to face the other person, the ability to receive the other person's feelings, and the ability to think together about the step the other person will take forward.

Among those who say they are bad at sales, I think there are many who feel 'I hate pushing.'

I don't think that is a bad thing.

Rather, that sense is important.

I don't want to push.

I don't want to force a contract.

I don't want to make the other person feel uncomfortable.

People who can think that way might actually be suited for sales.

Because it means they can think about the other person's feelings.

If you think of sales as 'pushing,' it becomes painful.

But if you think of it as 'helping people,' the way you see it changes a little.

Listening to the other person's worries.

Organizing what they are struggling with.

Conveying necessary information.

Thinking about options together.

That is also a respectable form of sales.

Finally

Sales is a job of creating numbers.

But it is not just that.

A job of lightening people's anxiety.

A job of organizing people's worries.

A job of creating a trigger for people to move forward.

I believe that.

If there is anyone who feels that sales is painful right now, I want you to try thinking about 'whose, what are you helping' before 'how to sell.'

When you see that, I think sales will look like a slightly different job.

I myself am still working while struggling.

Even so, I believe that sales is a job that can make people smile.

That is why I want to continue to convey sales as 'helping people' from now on.

Even when I am consulted about sales, I don't talk about how to sell right away.

The first thing I ask is, 'What are you struggling with right now?'

Organize before selling.

Know the other person before proposing.

If there is anyone who has something they want to organize regarding sales or human resource development, I hope we can think about at least the entrance to that together.

Next time, while looking back at myself when I was desperate to produce results, I will write about the time when I misunderstood 'severity' and 'nurturing'.