This morning a gentleman named Phil Lewis sent me a link to the interview he recorded with me for his podcast, The Consultancy Business.
Frankly, I wasn’t sure of how to promote it, because when we wrapped up the interview, I had a distinct feeling of having underperformed. ‘Not my best’, or so I thought.
But then I listened to it, and, well, wow. I rather like what I said there.
Now, if you think that I’m saying that because I want to toot my own horn, allow me to correct you.
Because the quality of an interview has far more to do with the quality of the interviewer, than it does with the quality of the guest.
And Phil – a trained psychotherapist, a change consultant, a highly intelligent and deeply empathic human being – really knew how to bring out the best in me. Of course he had a relatively easy time doing that, because we’ve been working together for a few months now, so he knew exactly what to ask in order to get me to spill the best beans.
Anyway, that as far as the pitch for the episode goes. If you’ve ever wanted a comprehensive 1-hour insight into how Sales for Nice People works, this is your listen.
The real value here though, is in that notion of ‘bringing out the best in others’.
Because ultimately, that’s what defines the quality of a relationship: a dynamic where each brings out the best in the other.
And that relates directly to sales, because if you see the process of enrolling a buyer into becoming a client as nothing more than ‘working your way towards a transaction’, then your process is transactional, you are a commodity to the buyer, and the process is awkward, frustrating and not very effective.
If, however, you make it your mission to bring out the best in your buyer, now you’re creating a dynamic that develops a strong bond, a quality relationship, a conversation that is truly or even profoundly helpful to your buyer, and you’re far more likely to get the deal.
Why?
Because ‘bringing out the best in someone’ means helping them evolve, grow, develop, and it means making it easy for them to choose who they want to become next… and, it means enabling them to make the decision to become the next version of themselves.
In other words: the identity-piece, or: who your buyer wants to become next.
That’s what a good friend does, it’s what a quality therapist or coach does, and it’s what nice people do when they have their buyer’s best interest at heart.
That is ultimately what Sales for Nice People is: a process and dialogue that helps a buyer step up their game, make the best possible choice, and evolve into a new version of themselves.
Which is exactly why SFNP turns selling into an act of service.
I could go on, and I will, in the interview hiding behind this click. Enjoy!