Overcome Your Fear of Sales—Reframe "Sell" To "Help"

The Futur

17 Jul 202204:30

Summary

TLDRThe speaker emphasizes that hard-selling can push clients away, advocating instead for a shift from 'selling' to 'helping.' By genuinely understanding clients' needs and building trust, professionals can foster long-term relationships, leading to greater success. Trust, rather than aggressive sales tactics, is presented as the true currency in client relationships. The speaker argues that helping clients, even when it means referring them elsewhere, leads to higher satisfaction, more creative freedom, and better outcomes. This approach contrasts with outdated, high-pressure sales methods, encouraging a more empathetic and service-driven model.

Takeaways

😊 The harder you try to sell, the fewer clients you get; selling should focus more on helping than pushing a sale.
💡 Survival instinct drives the need to sell, but it's important to change the mindset from selling to genuinely helping.
🤔 Viewing every person as a prospect or focusing too much on making money creates distrust and pushes people away.
😟 High-pressure selling leads to fear and loss of trust in the person offering services or products.
🔄 Reframe selling as helping; understand a client's needs, challenges, and decision-making process.
🙏 Sometimes helping means admitting you're not the right person for the job, referring someone else, or advising the client on better options.
🔑 Trust is the true currency in relationships with clients, and everything you do either builds or erodes that trust.
🤝 Building trust results in more business opportunities, higher payments, and more creative freedom from clients.
📉 High-pressure, aggressive sales tactics are outdated and often ineffective, especially in creative fields.
🎙️ The speaker, Greg Gunn, encourages listeners to check out The Future Podcast for more insights into creative business topics.

Q & A

What is the main point being made about selling in this transcript?
-The transcript argues that trying too hard to sell often leads to fewer clients because it makes people feel like they are being pushed rather than helped. Shifting focus from selling to genuinely helping builds trust and leads to better results.
How does the speaker suggest people should approach selling instead?
-The speaker suggests replacing the concept of 'selling' with 'helping.' Instead of trying to close a sale, focus on genuinely understanding and addressing the client’s needs, and offering help where you can. This builds trust and stronger relationships.
What are the negative consequences of focusing too much on selling according to the speaker?
-Focusing too much on selling makes clients feel pressured and can result in them losing trust. It creates a perception that the seller is more interested in closing a deal than in helping, which pushes potential clients away.
Why does the speaker emphasize building trust with clients?
-The speaker emphasizes that trust is the real currency in business relationships. When a client trusts you, they are more likely to pay you, give you more creative freedom, and stop seeking other vendors.
What role does survival play in selling according to the speaker?
-The speaker acknowledges that survival is a basic instinct and many people sell because they need to survive. However, they encourage rethinking the approach to selling so that it focuses on helping the client, which will ultimately lead to better outcomes.
What does the speaker mean by saying 'the harder you try to sell, the fewer clients you get'?
-This means that overly aggressive or pushy sales tactics tend to alienate potential clients. When a seller appears desperate to close a deal, it can come off as self-serving, which causes people to lose trust and walk away.
How does the speaker suggest you respond if you are not the right person to help a client?
-The speaker suggests being honest if you're not the right fit for the job. This may involve referring the client to someone else or explaining that they would be overpaying for your services, which builds trust by showing that you're not just after a quick sale.
What common cultural examples does the speaker give of bad selling practices?
-The speaker mentions 'The Wolf of Wall Street' and con artists as examples of the old-school, high-pressure, aggressive sales tactics that are often glamorized in popular culture but are ineffective, particularly for creative people.
Why does the speaker believe traditional high-pressure sales tactics are outdated?
-The speaker believes these tactics are outdated because they work in environments where the seller has leverage, but in most modern and creative fields, such tactics fail. Clients today respond better to trust-building and genuine assistance.
What is the broader lesson the speaker is trying to convey about business and client relationships?
-The broader lesson is that business and client relationships should be built on trust and helping, rather than pushing for sales. When you prioritize understanding the client’s needs and helping them solve their problems, the business results will follow naturally.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 The Harder You Sell, The Fewer Clients You Get

The speaker introduces the counterintuitive idea that aggressively trying to sell can drive clients away. While it’s necessary to sell for survival—to pay for necessities like housing and food—an overly pushy approach creates a negative impression. Clients sense the desperation, which leads to a lack of trust and pushes them away. The more someone tries to close a deal, the less successful they may be.

💡 Shifting from Selling to Helping

The speaker encourages rethinking the concept of selling by replacing the word 'sell' with 'help.' Instead of focusing on closing a deal, shift the mindset to genuinely helping clients. This involves understanding their needs, decision-making process, and the barriers to their success. By aligning with the client's needs and even referring them to others if necessary, trust is built, which leads to more meaningful, long-term relationships.

🤝 Trust as the Core Currency in Relationships

Trust is emphasized as the most important currency in any relationship. The speaker urges listeners to reflect on their interactions with clients and determine whether they are building or losing trust with every word and action. Listening fully to the client's problems and avoiding assumptions fosters deeper trust. Interrupting or presuming solutions without understanding the full issue can undermine trust and harm the relationship.

🚧 The Danger of Assumptions in Client Relationships

The speaker discusses the harm caused by making assumptions during client conversations. Cutting off clients, presuming solutions without hearing the full story, or acting with self-interest damages trust and can turn clients away. Instead, truly helping clients involves patience, listening carefully, and putting their needs first.

💼 The Rewards of Building Trust: More Freedom, Less Competition

Building trust leads to significant rewards in client relationships. When clients perceive you as trustworthy, they not only pay more but also stop shopping around for other options and grant you more creative freedom. The speaker notes that this approach works particularly well in creative fields, where trust and open collaboration are crucial.

📺 Misleading Cultural Examples of Selling

The speaker criticizes cultural stereotypes of aggressive selling, such as those portrayed in movies like 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' where high-pressure, manipulative tactics are glorified. While such approaches may work in areas where the seller holds power, they are ineffective in creative industries where trust and collaboration are more important.

🎙️ Promotion of The Future Podcast

The script concludes with a promotional message for 'The Future Podcast,' where listeners can hear intimate conversations and personal stories from well-known and new figures. The host encourages viewers who enjoy the YouTube content to explore the podcast, which offers more in-depth discussions and can be listened to conveniently during other activities.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Selling

Selling, in the context of the video, refers to the process of trying to offer or convince someone to purchase a product or service. The speaker highlights that aggressive selling, especially when driven by personal need, can create mistrust. Instead, a more empathetic approach is advised, focusing on understanding the client's needs rather than pushing for a sale.

💡Help

Help is presented as an alternative to the traditional idea of 'selling.' Instead of focusing on the transaction, the speaker emphasizes the importance of genuinely assisting clients with their challenges. This shift from 'selling' to 'helping' builds trust, which leads to more successful and lasting business relationships.

💡Trust

Trust is a central theme in the video. The speaker explains that trust is the 'currency' of client relationships, meaning that it holds significant value. Actions that build trust, like understanding a client's needs and offering genuine help, lead to better outcomes. On the contrary, high-pressure selling tactics erode trust.

💡Survival

Survival is used to refer to the basic human instinct to secure essential needs like shelter, food, and security. For many, selling becomes a means of survival. However, the speaker warns that focusing solely on survival-driven selling can lead to behavior that repels clients, as it seems desperate and inauthentic.

💡Agenda

Agenda refers to the preconceived goals or intentions of the seller. When a seller has a clear, self-serving agenda to close a deal, it can push clients away. The speaker suggests that clients can sense this and are more likely to lose trust in someone who prioritizes their own needs over the client's.

💡Building trust

Building trust is the process of gaining a client’s confidence through genuine actions and words. According to the speaker, this involves listening carefully, providing valuable insights, and showing an authentic desire to help, even if it means referring the client elsewhere. Building trust leads to stronger, longer-lasting client relationships.

💡High-pressure sales

High-pressure sales refer to aggressive tactics used to push someone into making a purchase or decision. The video critiques this approach, stating that it can be effective when the seller has significant leverage, but it’s generally counterproductive, especially in creative or service-based industries where trust and understanding are key.

💡Client's needs

Understanding the client’s needs is positioned as a fundamental aspect of effective selling in the video. Rather than assuming what a client needs, the speaker advises sellers to ask questions, listen carefully, and tailor solutions accordingly. This approach builds trust and fosters a more productive relationship.

💡Creative latitude

Creative latitude refers to the freedom clients give to service providers when there is high trust. The video suggests that when trust is built, clients will not only pay more but also grant greater creative freedom, which is especially valuable in industries that rely on innovation and personal expression.

💡Con men

Con men are referenced as a negative example of selling. They represent deceptive, manipulative sales tactics that prioritize the seller's gain over the buyer's trust and well-being. The speaker contrasts this approach with the more ethical, trust-building methods they advocate for in the video.

Highlights

The harder you try to sell, the fewer clients you get.

Survival is the first instinct when selling, but it's important to move beyond that mindset.

If you treat every person as a prospect due to financial need, it can create a negative impression.

People can sense when you're more focused on closing the deal than genuinely helping them.

Transform the word 'sell' into 'help' to shift your mindset and build trust.

Understand the client's needs, decision-making process, and past challenges to offer real value.

Sometimes the best way to help is by referring the client to someone more qualified.

Building trust is the true currency in client relationships.

Every action and statement either builds or loses trust with the client.

Interrupting the client or assuming their needs before they fully express them breaks trust.

Being perceived as trustworthy leads to clients paying more, offering loyalty, and giving creative freedom.

Traditional high-pressure sales tactics, as depicted in media like 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' are outdated.

Creative professionals need a different approach that focuses on building trust rather than leveraging pressure.

When trust is built, clients are less likely to consult other providers and more likely to rely on your expertise.

Helping clients genuinely and focusing on their needs leads to long-term success in creative fields.