BEING THE REAL YOU ANDRÉE FUNNELL explains why it’s important to be authentic in sales
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elling is all about connecting – because connecting with those who become your customers is the only way you can get that trust you need to make the sale. Salespeople who are seen as authentic tend to be more successful at connecting than those who hide behind a mask or facade. They inspire their customers, build relationships and customers trust them. But what does “authentic” really mean? Let’s explore this often-misunderstood area of sales and look at how to balance personality with professionalism. DO YOU WEAR A MASK? Have you ever felt that there’s a part of your personality that you keep to yourself ? That, for one reason or another, you don’t reveal to other people as much as sometimes you’d love to let it loose? Perhaps it’s out of fear of judgement. Or 26 WINNING EDGE
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it could even be down to the ideals that society has projected onto you about how you should behave. This part of your personality that’s hiding within is your “authentic self ”. Many of us adopt a more professional persona in the workplace, behaving differently from how we would at home. During our careers we are told to behave “professionally”, but does it mean that we become someone else at work – the imposter? The imposter syndrome has derived from our feeling that we need to conform to a pattern of behaviour that fits in with the organisational culture. This often means that we are behaving inauthentically at work, only to revert to our true self with friends and family. THE NEED FOR AUTHENTICITY Today, customers are demanding more authentic sales personnel. They want to build rapport ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM
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