Introspection is a powerful tool. For sales professionals, introspection can be an opportunity to clarify our beliefs and values. It’s a chance to re-energize our purpose and worthy intent for our prospects and clients.
Are Your Intentions Worthy?
Worthy intent is the core foundation of relationship sales. It’s about actively demonstrating our desire to genuinely connect with our customers. It’s about building trust and credibility as we develop our relational capital. We work with smart people who are qualified and capable of making good decisions for their organizations. Creating relationships that recognize these attributes reflects our genuine intentions.
Worthy intent is a customer-centric mindset. It’s the polar and philosophical opposite of the hard-sell methodology. Our worthy intent sets us apart, as sales professionals and as individuals. We are distinguished by our genuine interest in our prospects and clients, forming a deeper connection that will remain throughout our careers when nurtured.
Worthy intent is demonstrating sincere interest, discovery, and active listening. An example is asking where a client visualizes themselves in three to five years. What are their favorite hobbies? What is a special activity they look forward to outside the office? Discovering common interests and learning about your customers’ passions builds the bridge to relational capital, creating a deeper connection while adding a new dimension to your relationship in the process.
The Power of Being Genuine
As we look forward, let’s take the moment to reframe our purpose. We are the experts, change agents, and solution leaders for our buyers. We constantly need to reset our objectives back to delivering upon our worthy intent. True sales professionals only want to sell what a client needs, wants, or lacks, matching the right product or service to the organization.
We need to consciously revisit our worthy intent, thus renewing discovery and interest. Diligently continue to learn everything you can about the individuals and organization. In the process, we are able to dig deeper to identify and uncover possibilities for our products and services the customer has not visualized. It goes far beyond the specifications and requirements at the surface of a challenge or objective. It’s finding the perfect fit.
To effectively engage through worthy intent, we have to embrace it. It becomes a vital part of who we are. Create long-term connections that become the pillars for our success. As our relational capital evolves, opportunities will continually present themselves. Increasing sales comes naturally when we recognize and seize the chance to stand out with purpose.
Integrity is the cornerstone of worthy intent. Choosing to work with someone who has established their integrity is easy. Evaluate why and how you are presenting yourself to your prospects and clients. Think strategically and tactically reset your cycle back to demonstrating your worthy intent. Maintaining your focus and passion require regular introspection to continually build your relational capital with your customers. Take the moment.
Lynn Whitbeck is the co-founder and President of Petite2Queen. She is focused on identifying and evaluating opportunities for women at work, helping them define their personal roadmap. She dedicates herself to delivering tools and insights, embracing visualization of the big picture, and identifying and implementing the minutiae of detail. Lynn aims to share lessons learned along her journey and enable positive uplift for women.