Willingham - Integrity selling for the 21st century: how to sell the way people want to buy

W hat is the key to success in selling?

Why do some people succeed at it and others fail? Why do at least 80 percent of all salespeople reach plateaus and stay there? And what does this cost them and their organizations in lost income or profits?

Why do some salespeople struggle while others in the same organization, selling the same products or services, in the same market, earn into the hundreds of thousands of dollars?

Why are billions of dollars spent on sales training each year by organizations of all sizes, only to find that most of what they spent was wasted? Why is it that much of whats taught to salespeople not only doesnt get results but actually prevents them from selling well?

Why do most sales training programs, seminars, or books on selling present it as a series of strategies, gimmicks, or attempts to control behaviorsall designed to get a potential customer to say yes? They teach ridiculous strategies like nail-downs, tie-downs, open probes, closed probes, tricky closes, ad nauseam. Yet anyone whos ever sold anything soon discovers that continued success in selling is 85 percent emotional and only 15 percent strategy.

Selling isnt driven by knowledge or skills alonealthough they are a necessary foundation. The truth is that knowing how to sell doesnt improve peoples ability to sell. Rather, successful selling is largely driven by deep emotionsour beliefs, our values, our awareness of our own capabilities, and our feelings of self-worth. Most salespeople know this intuitively; unfortunately, most dont know how to build on this intuitive knowledge.

If youve tried manipulative, self-focused selling techniques and felt that they demean both you and your customer, or if youve ever wondered if selling could be more than just talking people into buying whatever youre selling, youll find this book a breath of fresh air. Youll not only learn how to sell in a highly professional way, youll also feel better about who you are. Most important, your ability to achieve higher levels of success will increase.

Integrity Selling is a process that both you and your customers will feel good about doing. Its doing the right thing for people. When you sell with integrity, you dont approach people with the intent of selling them something; rather, your goal is always to gain rapport and understand their objectives so you can help them get what they need.

Integrity Selling is doing something for people rather than to them. Its focus is to create value for customers. Its all about them, not you. Paradoxically, you sell more with this selfless attitude. To get to the heart of the matterIntegrity Selling begins with who you are. I believe that when your values, motives, and desire to help your customers are right, your actions and behaviors will be right. Customers want to do business with people they can trust. Thats why strong ethics and values contribute more to selling success than strategies and techniques.

How do I know this for a fact? I once observed several hundred salespeople who were taught to use deceptive practices like bait and switch, and encouraged to play negotiation games with customers. They were so stressed by this behavior that they suffered from a high incidence of alcohol and substance abuse, divorce, job-jumping, and low productivity. In the same industry, I have observed countless people who had been taught to sell with high integrity. Ironically, their customer satisfaction, profit margins, and salesperson retention were significantly higher.

This book debunks many old selling myths. It contains the appropriate mix of customer-focused sales skills with the psychology of personal achievement. Ill reveal to you the core traits of all highly successful salespeople, and give you Action Guides to practice that will help you develop these very traits.