It’s your voice that got you here; telling your story is what will keep you here.” ~ Pharrell Williams to a contestant on The Voice.
I love The Voice. It’s true. I watch it religiously and may even be known to download songs and re-watch performances. And the coaches – well, they totally make the show. They’re positive, instructive, encouraging, and fun. They so clearly love the work they’re doing that it obviously doesn’t feel like a job. Imagine!
The emotion that the show evokes from me is always surprising. I love watching people take risks and prevail, and with singing, they are putting themselves out there on the line in the most vulnerable of ways. And they do it on TV. It’s incredibly inspiring.
Having a good voice yet no passion, emotion, or compelling reason to watch, the contestants are sent home. They have to have both. Their voice may have gotten the coaches to turn around, but they have to have a complete package to get to the finals.
Successful selling is like a great performance
Sales people also put themselves out there every day as well. And it’s difficult. And also inspiring.
And in the same vein as the singing, knowing insurance and having the license gets you into the arena. But in order to be truly successful at sales you have to be interesting to potential clients. You have to know what you’re doing and most importantly, you have to know why you’re doing it.
You may have the technical talent, but you’ve got to put in the energy and passion for the bigger idea of what your clients want to buy, rather than what they simply have to buy. And you have to do so with emotion, conviction, and dedication to it. You have to believe that your clients are going to be better off as a result of working with you. That the solutions you bring to them are worth all the time, expense, and effort you put into them.
If you’re simply going through the motions, selling a commodity, and making empty promises of value-added services you’ll probably not deliver on, your buyers know. They know you’re just peddling wares for the sale. Clients don’t want to buy from someone who doesn’t exude sincerity and conviction and who doesn’t believe he or she can genuinely help improve their business. Why bother going through all the effort to make the change? It’s just not worth it.
Your sincerity and belief in what you’re selling is the key to earning clients who believe in and value what you’re offering.
On The Voice people are taking a risk and doing something they absolutely love and want to share with the world. And the coaches love it too and want to help them improve with every performance. That’s what makes the show so compelling.
Are you doing something you absolutely love that you want to share it with the world? And do you have someone on your team that wants to help you improve with every performance? Because that’s what will grow your business.
Photo by stockasso
