Article by Paul Durrant, proprietor of #ORBMember company PDT Sales Consultancy.

As with anything in life, when you take a more minded approach to a task then things become a whole lot easier but what was does being more minded or, indeed, mindfulness actually mean?

Mindfulness is essentially a translation of sati, a word from Buddhist texts – which basically means ‘awareness’. This translation has two distinct definitions:

  • Achieving a mental state of awareness by focusing on the present moment
  • Being in a state of mind whereby one is conscious or aware of something

 

These two definitions are closely matched but mindfulness can, in general, be summarised as ‘being conscious and more considered about a specific situation or moment’.

Mindful sales is therefore about being more conscious about the person you are selling to and focusing on their specific needs and buying motives. It is also about being more considered in respect of how you go about doing this.

Find Your Focus

The mindful sales approach is exactly the opposite to the stereotypical pushy salesperson who earns a bad reputation because they focus solely on their preferred outcome i.e. clinching the deal – rather than a mutually beneficial outcome i.e. considering the needs of their buyer and whether the sale is right for that buyer.

Distancing yourself from less compassionate sellers

Building your sales proposition around being more mindful, can help you, your company and your brand stand out from the less compassionate, less caring ‘quick buck’ sellers out there.

Any ethical salesperson with a conscious and a moral compass is probably already practising mindful selling but this ‘more caring and considered style of sales’ is particularly well matched for people who:

  1. Hate selling (because they think it’s odious and manipulative)
  2. Are unconfident with sales (because they are inexperienced or introverted)
  3. Operate in the ‘Help Sector’ e.g. charity, health or social care (where the focus is on others)

 

If you want to be recognised as a reputable, responsible and respected business, then taking a more caring, considered and mindful approach to how you do sales – is the key to building a customer base of loyal and delighted devotees.

Every force has an equal and opposite reaction

Using the traditional sales methods of ‘pushing’ or ‘pulling’, means that the harder you try to influence and convince a buyer – generally the more resistance you will experience. Trying to make someone say yes, will in many cases push them in the opposite direction or make them pull against you!

According to Newton’s ‘Third Law’, every force e.g. pushing or pulling, has an equal and opposite reaction. The equal and opposite reaction, when it comes to selling, is the buyers’ resistance to the sale – whether that be them resisting being pushed or pulled along your sales process.

Pull selling is more subtle than push selling but both involve exerting a certain level of force on your buyer. The mindful sales method is more about using neutral force to facilitate the sale i.e. providing nothing more than empathy, education and insight, to help a buyer make an informed buying decision (which could either be yes or no) and then making it as easy as possible for them to buy.

Summary

People that care about others will already be selling in a more mindful manner but by applying a little more minded strategy, process and technique – you can bring more structure and consistency to your sales and this will help your business remain viable and competitive.

If you would like to be more structured when it comes to selling in a more mindful way, why not consider PDT Sales Consultancy’s online ‘Mindful Sales’ training course?

This course can be taken at your own pace and comes with 11 practical lessons and 5 downloadable sales tools to use and keep.

At only £45 for the equivalent of a full day’s professional sales training, this could be a bargain for anyone who wants to find a better way of selling.

NB. If you are an ORB member, PDT Sales Consultancy offers a 25% discount on all sales training courses. Contact us for the discount code.

 

PDT Sales Consultancy was founded by Paul Durrant, who is a certified sales professional, public speaker and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) coach, with over 25 years’ experience in selling to all types of sector.

Through his lead, Paul brings a wealth of knowledge in helping start-ups and established SME businesses fix their sales related problems, optimise their sales performance and upskill their salespeople.

Website: pdtsalesconsultancy.co.uk
Telephone: 0800 862 0423
Email: info@pdtsalesconsultancy.co.uk