Is selling a form of manipulation?
The negative perception of selling is deafening. It is scary to know that the general public thinks that this is what sales reps normally do.
Contrary to popular belief, selling is about integrity. We persuade our customers by first understand their needs and issues and provide the right solution to solve them.
More sales reps do the right thing than those who are not. However, what gets attention are those who do not.
I could not care less about the budget, KPI or any other business pressures when it comes to integrity. If there is an expectation by a business to manipulate our customers to exceed any of that, it is time to quit immediately.
There is a reason why the general public detests sales reps and selling.
The Wikipedia definition of manipulation is “the action of manipulating someone in a clever or unscrupulous way.” There is a negative association of this word in the world of selling that never sits comfortably with me.
The definition of selling to me is “the exchange of something for another thing that is mutually beneficial to both parties that they value”. Therefore, there is no reason for manipulation to ever exist in sales.
The purpose of this newsletter is to prove that there is no room for manipulation when we sell.