October 18, 2016

5 Things You Should Be Giving in Sales

BY Caitlin Delohery IN Relationships, Sales 0 Comment

Gifts

“Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.” — The Go-Giver: A Little Story about a Powerful Business Idea, by Bob Burg

There’s been a sea change in sales in the last decade. Instead of focusing on volume of transactions, businesses are focusing on the quality of relationships. And, as in any relationship, sales is a give and take. By focusing more on giving than taking, you can strengthen your team, build community, expand your profits, and increase your personal happiness.

Here are 5 ways you can give in your business — and get a whole lot in return.

Give value.

Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.” — The Go-Giver

Giving in sales starts with a perspective shift. You want to change the focus from what your customers can do for you — sign up for a membership, buy your product, send you a referral — to what you can do for them. Build your business around providing value for your customers.

  • Provide leads and customers with information tailored to their needs.
  • Be mindful of where leads are in the sales process and send out segmented resources that will help them just where they are.
  • Connect customers with resources that will continue to help them learn, grow, and explore, even after you’ve made the sale.
  • Provide articles, eBooks, whitepapers, webinars, and more, all designed to answer the questions and challenges that your leads and customers face.

Give your time.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Gandhi

You don’t need to use your professional skills to make a difference, though. Simply giving your time — and encouraging your team to volunteer, too — can have profound effects on you and your organization.

Of over 4,500 adults who participated in 100 hours of volunteer work per year:

  • 68% felt better physically
  • 89% were happier
  • 73% experienced lowered stress

And the benefits aren’t just personal.

So, you’re convinced of the big value, but don’t know where to begin? Here are some ideas:

  • Talk with your team about what causes and organizations they’re passionate about.
  • Check out websites like VolunteerMatch and Idealist.org, which can help direct you to areas of need in your community.
  • Brainstorm ways to help that dovetail with your organization’s mission.
    • If you’re a residential cleaning service, you might volunteer to clean up local beaches.
    • If you’re a business that sells fire-prevention tools, your team might sign up to be volunteer firefighters together.

Give your attention.

“Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention… Attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. Stay eager.” — Susan Sontag

In the age of smartphones, 24/7 entertainment, and never-ending social media feeds, the world is a distracted place. Your associates are scanning their phones while they’re in meetings, checking their email while they’re on calls with clients, stationed in front of two or three computer monitors just to take in all the info they need. Multitasking has become the mode.

Don’t be average. Put your phone away, turn your screens off, and become a master of single-tasking. By giving your clients, customers, and team your undivided attention, you’ll do more than stand out from the crowd.

Give your talent.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of it for another.Charles Dickens

You’ve worked hard to become an expert in your field. You have unique skills and insight that you can offer to others. Look outside your business for opportunities to donate your talent.

  • Are you a master at designing good-looking, functional products? Donate a few consulting hours each month to medical device development at your local VA.
  • Do you have event-planning skills? Offer your services to spearhead a fundraiser for a nonprofit whose mission you support.
  • Are you a staffing and recruiting guru? Teach a class at a local community center on how to improve job search techniques, resumes, and interview skills.

Start first with what you have to offer and brainstorm where it can be of most benefit. While you’re helping others in your community, you will also organically improve your company’s reputation, connect with potential customers, and boost sales.

Give money.

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. — Unknown

You can see how giving your skills, time, and attention can boost morale and improve your team. And in the same way, giving money can help you boost your bottom line.

Here at karmaCRM, we working to bring more kindness into the sales process. Check out our blog on how we’re committed to giving back.

Caitlin got her roots in inbound marketing before it got its name. As a teenager in the 90s, she promoted her independently published magazines by writing about the importance of indie publishing all over AOL. Now, Caitlin is passionate about moving people and society forward. She follows thought leaders in the National Speakers Association, the staffing industry, and all human rights movements. She loves learning and helping people learn.

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