Principles
Selling Better Principles
It all starts with opportunity. Opportunity makes it possible to do good things. Optimism is ignited when real opportunities for growth and prosperity become clear to us. Different from blind optimism, Purposeful Optimism is built on substance: derived from strategy and underpinned by well resourced people who are enabled to pursue opportunity and do something meaningful with others. Optimism keeps the light of opportunity glowing even when the world seems dark.
Above all, do no harm (primum non nocere)
That’s the basic guiding principle when making decisions. Peter Drucker said that this should be the first responsibility of every professional. We stand by it. We will never knowingly do harm to people including businesses, customers, suppliers, communities, or the planet
Everybody lives by selling something
Understand that selling is everybody’s business and everybody lives by selling something. Regardless of our roles, everyone needs to persuade or influence others at some stage or another, whether it is to gain buy-in to an idea, product or service, or to get a job. Regardless of our roles, we are all ambassadors in the value chain of business that connects us with each other.
Client-centred equals human-centred
If there is no human need to satisfy, there is no business, no customers and no exchange of money, resources or value. Business is an answer to human needs. It is our duty to be human centred. This means looking after customers, employees, suppliers, communities and the planet. Human-centred selling is the means by which we create and generate opportunity.
The power of purposeful action
Purposeful action combines purpose, process and people. Having a clear vision of what we want to accomplish makes it easier to communicate and engage with others. Knowing why we are doing what we are doing and how we do what we do gets us back on track if we get scattered or distracted. Purposeful action is about finishing what we start and persevering until we get results.
Discernment
Discernment is the ability to judge well. The ability to stand up for what is right and be courageous in the face of adversity and ethically compromising situations; this can mean saying ‘no’ to opportunities that do not serve us or our clients or our communities well.
Selling is all about the fair exchange of value. Just as personal relationships thrive when each person gives something of value, so too, do business connections. By working towards a true and fair exchange of value, both buyer and seller strengthen their connection and achieve better results together.
Kindness & curiosity are contagious
When we genuinely listen to others and seek to understand, empathise, explore and be curious about what is possible, we create the conditions for effective mutually-beneficial solutions. In being kind we lift others up, not pull them down, and we find people want to work with us because they know we have their best interests at heart. In return, we’ll be rewarded with deeper connections in business and life.
Courage & persistence create resilience
Successful, sustainable careers, causes and organisations do not happen by chance; they are underpinned by courage and persistence. The courage to take a vision to market and the persistence to see it through knowing we will be tested all the way. By facing challenges, standing strong in the face of moral dilemmas, bouncing back from adversity, learning from mistakes, and being persistent, we can develop a resilient and ethical sales career and business.
Honesty & authenticity
The focus is on developing sales cultures and practices where engaging in honest and open conversations, creative and innovative thinking, and building authentic relationships is intrinsic to doing good business. Authentic engagement allows sustainable relationships and opportunities to flourish.
Less me, more we
Look outwards and find ways to serve others. Lead with empathy, collaboration and cooperation. When we purposefully and consistently connect and engage with each other to explore opportunity, we create the space to ignite real and viable business results and outcomes, inside and out. By helping others we help ourselves.
Systems thinking
As the world gets more complex, leading and managing teams and businesses becomes more challenging. Replace linear thinking with multiple threads and complex variable systems that embrace human beings and their ambiguities, yet still allow for function, adaptation and evolution.