Everyone wants to sell - sales and self-awareness?!

"Everybody wants to sell something" is understandable on some level, the question is HOW? At what price? As a primary goal or does it matter what you are selling? Perhaps you will give enough of your humanity so that they will buy from you in the future? Are you able to tune in with a PURE, selfless heart to your interlocutor? In this article, I'll show how sales and self-awareness are closely linked.

What's the secret to finding the best ones for YOU?

From people skills, knowledge of the company, understanding and exploring the drivers of the management and individuals, to put it briefly.

The majority of people don't engage in deep self-awareness precisely because of the thorns, because they are afraid of finding out or seeing something that hurts.

Few are those who long for any painful image, even if they are promised that they will arrive in "Paradise" afterwards. Yet through these depths going from strength to strength so that we can see clearly the problems of others and our knowledge of human nature is deepened.

If I hadn't been so close to the danger of life some 20 years ago, I would probably have less experience today. If I hadn't had to get back on my feet as a career changer, I would certainly be less able to help people with similar problems. If I hadn't hit rock bottom when I was building an HR team, I would have been less able to withstand the "tornadoes". Where there is no depth, there is no height.

There will always be waves. The question is, do you stand as a STRONG ROCK or do you get swept away by the waves?

I decided to stay rock. So the secret lies in personal development, self-identity, self-awareness.

But where did the love of sales come from?

When I was in primary school, we were able to go abroad every 3 years to visit my uncle in Italy. I loved chewing gum as a child, we didn't have it in Hungary, it was not so big, just little balls with lots of sugar.

I was able to blow this up bigger than my head... pretty pink balloons formed from the tiny pieces of gum.

I threw a few packets at my uncle and my childish mischief began. I started to sell them to my classmates not as packets, but piece by piece. After a while, I had to look for another business because I ran out of gum:-)

My mother crocheted me a doll of very nice yarns, about 15-20 cm long, which she stuffed with cotton wool, so it was soft and pleasant to the touch, and it made smiling figures that the child liked to take to school, even as a mascot.

I liked it so much that I saw it in the business opportunity, and I was making dolls with my mum, and she was just making them after hours, unsuspectingly. All I remember telling her was that I was giving them to my classmates. I was telling the truth after all.

From today's point of view, it was a prank, a mischievous act, but everyone was happy: me for the small pocket money, the kids for the special loving figures (little girl, little boy, etc..), and my mom for me for how kind her little girl is.

University, and my early jobs

Then it came on the frothy side of life, when I was a waiter and later a supervisor and salesman during my university years. I was really happy about the supervisor opportunity (in Israel), I was free to decide how to create it, to fill the restaurant during the civil war. The responsibility of coordinating a team was a rewarding opportunity for me, even if my weekends often turned into nights. It seemed an incredible opportunity, early on I became a leader.

I would talk to the guests, listen to them and if I saw them feeling down, I would try to cheer them up. They were often tired of the difficulties at work and the political situation. I acted out of a natural inner motivation and the result was a super profitable period. We organised evenings where cheese, wine, music and my team provided the entertainment - a bit of funhas been able to steal into people's hearts.

It was also a really good experience selling in the shop, I always took weekends because I knew there was a crowd and I saw the opportunity. I didn't care at the time that weekends were a time of rest. I never pushed any goods on anyone, I simply talked to people, enjoyed getting to know them, enjoyed connecting with them, always had a deep trust in them, but I didn't consciously realise it myself at the time.

I'm already bathed in happiness when I can connect with people and see a smile on their face when they talk to me.

Then a British conference organisation company came along and used a full sales approach to sell their conferences. During the trial period I was awarded the rank of best salesman.

When HR is in the picture

My next stop, which was affected by sales, is headhunting/ recruitment. I think without the so-called sales skill, which I prefer to call a magic, no business could ever be successfully created.

My favourite stories as an HR person - and also my greatest successes - were within the sales position, from Xerox, Kramp to MVÜK etc...

The candidate to whom I gave the real facts, and the manager to whom I painted the real candidate stock. Many times the reality was painful, but honesty paid off here, but it only worked with the company where I felt the value proposition, I had no success with companies focused on profit.

To be more precise, those who only in words, seemingly behaving humanely, simply did not do business. Life experience is a great teacher of people skills. I could no longer relate to the people behind the apparent smiles and outward good nature - when I exposed the charade.

What is the conclusion about people skills and sales?

1. Start by getting to know yourself, e.g. describe how you see yourself.
2. Develop the light side of your personality, the shadow side can be hammered out.
3. Discover the good in people, take what seems to be a failed negotiation, and make it part of your knowledge.
4. Walk, wake up, READ, talk and WRITE!

In retrospect, I'm glad I stuck to my principles, my values, because now as an entrepreneur, how would I look myself in the eye day after day if I had been wrong?

From self-identity, a honesty with ourselves is essential, whatever the activity. If you are not honest with yourself, you are unable to be honest with others. Without them I would be unable to career changersat, managersto coach, to guide personality development in a positive direction.

What competences and skills did I learn through self-awareness?

I have realised two important things over the years of my involvement in sales:

1. Not a good sales person who can sell everything. To me, a good salesperson is someone who identifies with the product or service and speaks to people from the heart.
2. Do not want to sell, but learn to connect with people, just naturally.
   Guy Kawasaki: I quickly chewed my way through the book Charm, because I am put off when someone makes you do emotional manipulation. He says you have to be aware of the person you are meeting. I never look up a prospective client's hobbies just to have something to warm up to. Charm is about something like that. And yes, the keep smiling it's in us...
   But still. we do not have to follow it. That's why I quickly took the point from the book that I can be charming by nature, and I don't need to train to be charming, and I certainly don't need to make an effort to charm someone. If we don't have a common voice, then we don't have to get together at all costs just for the sake of business. It's a big world, everyone finds those they can connect with, they operate on similar or the same frequency.

To give you an example (of which I am very proud): one of the managers said after two years of business that he didn't care if the TiniTrenD  service is what it's all about, He knows it's valuable and has confidence in whatever I'm about. 

I don't think I've told the sales people much new with this. A my experience is that, in theory, many people know , that 

1. build trust with your potential buyer
2. consultative sales, sales longer term, as the hunter.

This is what I call superficial knowledge. A the greatest challenge and experience is getting to know, in sales. This can be developed through personal development, self-awareness. You can do this by talking on the phone or in person with a potential client and in just a few minutes you can see what his or her personality is like, his or her main traits, or what he or she is longing for in his or her heart.

I remembered a short funny story About this.

Here's an example to help you understand the depths

I'm not talking about a client candidate on purpose: I happened to be talking to a high school teacher about teenagers who were trying their best to look after their downward spiral, yet they hadn't found the means to steer them in the right direction. Many of them drink, smoke... As I talked about the lack of love, care and respect for others, acceptance, they softened and I felt touched. My intuition led me to stop talking about it now, and I was right, as it turned out. The teacher had been through a difficult relationship, and I assume the words ACCEPT, LOVE brought up painful memories, even though they are in the past. We are born sentient human beings, even if we put on tough armour.

Rationality dictates - and I can almost hear the grumbling from the salesmen, phrased in various objections:

• we do the same, 
• or who has time for that?
• year-end figures, KPIs are important
• we don't have time to get emotional, there's no profit in it

There are, of course, many ways to do business, to make a profit.

This reminds me of Prof. Dr. Csaba Bánki, doctor, psychiatrist, university professor (spiritual teacher) - he said something like this at a 21st century Mindfullness/ Conscious Presence conference for doctors and psychiatrists: do not believe what I say!

I may be revising what I'm saying now in 5 years' time, which is how I teach my resident colleagues. Instead, try it, study the scientific publications, keep an open mind.

Being a good salesperson is not a well-trodden path, I have only illustrated what I have experienced and learned.

When selecting a vendor, we always use an independent, valid set of tests, but I never base my decision on that. It can be an extra piece of information, a useful crutch for candidates.

But what do I suggest, if you have the urge to try this method?

1. Contact me if you're open to a chat!
2. Listen to your intuition about Me! If you have many doubts, then I am not a partner for you. 
3. If you've decided to embark on a personal development, self-discovery adventure, then have the HONESTY - I'll help you through the labyrinth, I'll be by your side. And one more thing... have you seen the movie Jumanji? If you enjoyed it a little, you will also enjoy learning about yourself.

I wish you a good day,
Titanilla

p.s.: scroll down to find my other articles on this topic