The Three Keys to Sustained Motivation in Sales (part 3)

Our path to high leverage in prospecting has led us to cover four key areas of high leverage:

• Market
• Message
• Medium
• Motivation

And our last few posts we have been covering the three keys to sustained motivation in sales.

The first of the three keys is to have clarity around what you really want.  And the second key is to understand the “why” of our motivation because by answering why we want what we want connects our goals and our activities to the things we really care about.

Understand The True Nature of Selling

The third and final key is to understand the true nature of selling.  I want to illustrate this with a story.

Kaiba Gionfriddo

This is Kaiba Gionfriddo.

Kaiba Gionfriddo

Kaiba was born with a defective trachea that caused him to stop breathing almost every day after he reached 6 weeks old.  His parents were performing CPR on him almost every day and ordinary doctors did not expect him to live.

I want you think about what that would be like as a parent – knowing that a any moment your child might stop breathing and die.

And what about Kaiba?  Helplessly struggling for air.  It’s a tragic situation.

Enter Hope

Eventually Kaiba and his parents got to Dr. Glenn Green at University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Glenn Green

University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital

Dr. Green had developed an amazing 3D printed medical splint that could be applied to Kaiba’s trachea and save his life.

And you can see the amazing biodegradable, 3D printed splint here.

Biodegradable, 3D printed splint

Biodegradable, 3D printed splint

Biodegradable, 3D printed splint

This little thing.

The biodegradable 3D printed medical split was a new technology so Dr. Green had to use an emergency provision to get FDA approval to use this tracheal splint to try and save Kaiba’s life.

The Miracle of Life

The procedure to use this new technology was a success.  The biodegradable, 3D printed medical split saved Kaiba’s life.

Here you can see Kaiba here after the surgery.

Kaiba with his dog after the surgery.

Kaiba after the surgery.

An Emotional Story

This is an emotional story.  We all marvel with gratitude the efforts that saved this young child’s life.  We can sense and connect with the goodness of it.  We’re all grateful to call ourselves part of humanity when we see efforts such as this.  And we say to ourselves, “If I could save a life that way, I would do it.”  Don’t we?

The Big Surprise

Did you know there was a sale here?

The CT & MRI scans that made the printing possible cost money.  The lasers and 3D printers and biodegradable materials to print with cost money too.  The person responsible for making this sale is Scott Hollister.

Scott Hollister

We don’t hear too much about selling part of this story because it takes away some of the magic doesn’t it?  And yet there are thousands of stories just like this one.

The Big Question

So let me ask you a question…  Why is it that we see this type of sale differently than other kinds of sales?  Why is that?

It’s because we can more easily see the positive effects of these solutions on people’s lives.  We can make the connection.  Without sales to fund efforts this splint would never have been made – and a child’s life would have been lost.

These dramatic examples help us see what selling truly is – service.

Selling is an act of service.

“Selling is an act of service.”

Selling Is Noble

Not every solution aims to address the same lofty goals.  Some solutions help feed the hungry.  Some ease people’s pain with medicines.  Some solutions allow people to communicate or travel over great distances.  And some solutions offer services that allow individuals to focus on higher value activities – like work or family.  And there are hundreds more.

Each solution that we sell, helps someone achieve a goal, fulfill a dream, or avert a crisis.  Each solution, regardless of how large or how small, helps a real person move from where they are, to where they want to be.

Selling Is An Act of Service

Helping a customer move towards their goal is an act of service.  It shouldn’t be difficult or stressful at all.  It should be easy.  Easy in the same way we say to ourselves “If I could save a life that way, I would do it.”  Without hesitation.

Because selling is serving.

The Curse of Distraction

But sometimes we lose sight of that fact.  In fact, sometimes we get so caught up in what’s in it for us, and our own selfish motives, and all the administrative garbage we have to deal with – that we even forget the goals we’re working to help clients achieve.

But it doesn’t have to be that way…

Conclusion

I want you to remember that selling is act of service.  It is hard sometimes.  But it is 100% noble, and 100% satisfying if you make it that way.

When we remember that selling is serving, we and our customer’s lives are enriched in a virtuous cycle.  And there should be no hesitation in that.  In fact, its motivating in it’s own right.

And that’s the third key.  Selling is serving.

Motivation Secret:  Selling is serving.  When we remember that fact, selling is motivating in its own right.

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Until next time!

James

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