Why Building Relationships Trumps Chasing Transactions

Ever wonder why most sales approaches feel uncomfortable? It might be because we've completely forgotten what "sales" actually means. The word itself comes from an Old English term "salen" meaning "to give" – not to take or to get. This revelation transforms how we should approach professional selling in today's business landscape.

Remember when a salesperson's value came from knowing more than anyone else about their product? Those days are gone. With AI and the internet providing instant access to information, today's professional salesperson's true currency is trust. When someone trusts you, they don't feel the need to double-check everything you say. That trust allows you to show prospects opportunities they might never discover on their own – even with all the information at their fingertips.

Professional sales success now requires four essential shifts. First, invest in developing your people skills and emotional intelligence rather than just product knowledge. Second, abandon canned sales language in favor of authentic communication that reflects who you really are. Third, focus on building genuine relationships instead of chasing transactions – the transactions will naturally follow. Finally, approach each new connection with sincere curiosity about the other person, not because they might buy something, but because they might be someone whose life you can enhance.

This approach mirrors how we form our deepest friendships – through open conversations, finding commonalities, and genuinely wanting to learn about each other. By shifting your mindset from "What can I get from this person?" to "How can I add value to their life?", you'll not only find more fulfillment in your work but also create the foundation for lasting, profitable business relationships. Visit MorrisSims.com to discover more strategies for growing your business while having more time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Chapters

• 0:00 Reframing Sales: Getting or Giving?
• 2:12 Bob Berg's Wisdom on True Selling
• 3:51 Trust: The New Sales Currency
• 5:26 Four Keys to Professional Selling
• 8:08 Building Authentic Relationships
• 8:45 Episode Closing and Call to Action

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

When we think about sales, most of us, I guess, kind of think about going out and making a sale. Right, we're going to go make a sale. When you delve into that statement, though, it's about getting something. It's about getting someone else to buy whatever it is that I'm selling. Now, we've been talking about this and all sorts of things over the past few weeks, and today I'll just ask you this question Is sales really about getting something or giving something?

Speaker 1: 0:38

Welcome to the Commission Code Podcast. We're here to help you overcome the challenges that most of us face in our business. From time to time, you know things like feeling like you're on a plateau and you just can't seem to grow your business. Or maybe feeling overwhelmed, just trying to make ends meet, and yet it seems like you're always working. Or maybe you've done quite well for a while, but now nothing seems to be working anymore. Well, we want to help you solve those problems and many more. Our objective is to provide you with practical solutions so you can grow your business and have more time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Speaker 1: 1:17

My name is Morris Sims and I'm going to be your host for this show. I've spent years okay, decades really in the corporate world, teaching business owners how to increase their revenue and use professional sales processes and run their business more effectively and efficiently. I started my own consulting and trading business about seven years ago, I guess and I'm helping my clients do just exactly that Get more revenue, increase their revenue and have more time to enjoy the fruits of their labor. But I've got to tell you I'm having more fun than ever helping people build successful businesses. So, with all that said, let's get on with today's episode of the Commission Code for your Success.

Speaker 1: 2:12

Years ago, I hired a speaker to come and present to a large group of people who were training salespeople for our company. His name is Bob Berg. Bob's an author and a speaker who, well, he literally changed my outlook on business and how I deal with people. Bob's the author of the Go-Giver series of books and I got to tell you they're amazing. I wholeheartedly recommend Bob and his books to anybody in business. See, bob taught me and he tells us in his books that, or actually in an email he sent that the word sale has an interesting etymology. It derives from an old English word, salen, which means to give.

Speaker 1: 2:52

Selling is all about giving Okay. So what does that have to do with professional sales, morris? Well, it has to do. It has everything to do with professional sales. Our work is about giving by adding value to our prospective clients. We give not only our expertise and specialized information and knowledge, but we also give them the opportunities for them to be able to find ways to get what they want. Now, in the past, our expertise and our library of information was really I mean, that was the key, and if you knew more about your product than anybody else, you were really good stuff out there on the streets today. Well, the way it works right now is, with AI and the internet alone, anybody can get any information about anything. Right Today, the professional salesperson's currency is trust.

Speaker 1: 3:52

I don't know about you, but I question what I learned on the internet and double check whatever is presented. What's the source? Where did it come from? Do I really trust that? Does it make sense? Does it pass the smell test? If you will, when I work with somebody I trust, I probably don't feel the need to double-check that much. Professional salespeople build an authentic, trusting relationship as well as provide expert information and recommendations. Even with the internet and AI information, the professional salesperson will show a prospect opportunities that they probably didn't even know were available.

Speaker 1: 4:33

I've had the honor of working with professional travel agents over the past few years, and this is where they add so much value that it's absolutely amazing. When you engage a professional travel agent, you learn about opportunities to get more than what you thought you could get. I'm talking about being able to get a better room, a better way to take your vacation, a better way to find excursions that you didn't even know were available. That's giving. That is professional sales. The best news for travelers is that the vendors out there they're the ones that typically pay the agent and not the traveler. So for the travel professional, it is all about giving and adding value, and in reality, isn't that the truth for all sales professionals?

Speaker 1: 5:26

So what does that mean for the professional salesperson out there today? Well, I'd suggest there are four things to do. First, we've got to spend our time and energy and our investment in developing our own skills. When it comes to self-development, in the past, it may have focused on products and how those products can benefit buyers. Today more than ever, it's important to invest in learning more about human behavior and how to improve your people skills. Things like emotional intelligence that's worthwhile. Things like the sales process in today's world. That's worthwhile.

Speaker 1: 6:07

Secondly, folks, we got to drop the age-old sales language and replace it with how you can use words and language that are authentic for you. Be yourself is still the best advice for anybody in business. We can all spot it. We can all spot somebody trying to act like or be somebody that they're not, and when that happens, trust goes out the window. Build relationships, not transactions. If you build relationships, the transactions will come. So how do we all build relationships?

Speaker 1: 6:46

Well, think about how you and your best friend first developed that friendship. Wasn't it through the conversations that you had, the open and transparent exchange of questions and answers? In addition, if you think about it, you both had a desire to learn more about each other and find real commonality. That began with the mindset that you had when you wanted to learn more and become friends in the first place. Enter the opportunity to meet other people, to meet somebody new, focused on the other person and learning about them, because you want to get to know them. That's the whole idea. You want to enter the opportunity to meet somebody focused on those things and not on gee, am I going to make a sale and you do that not because they might be your next transaction, but because they may be interesting people you can help and add value to their lives. And if you do so, yeah, business-wise it's going to be profitable. Chances are you'll be able to get into being able to get an agreement and do business and they may buy whatever it is you're selling. But the idea is we're going to help them in the long haul get what they want and in the long haul they're going to do more than that one transaction with you.

Speaker 1: 8:07

Is this a change in everything you thought about professional sales? Well, maybe it is, and if it is, viva la change. Well, that does it for this episode of the Commission Code Podcast. This is the place where we want to help you find the commission code to success in your business. Remember, go to MorrisSimscom for more information and in the meantime, hey, have a great week, get out there and meet somebody new, and we'll see you again next time right here on the Commission Code. Best wishes. I'm Morris Sims, you.