Packers Fans are the Best Salespeople I Know

Happy Football Season!  Time for hooded sweatshirts, crockpots, and all day football Sundays.  It’s fair to say football fans are about as enthusiastic as they come.  Nothing reminds me more of this universal truth than my first Packers game - I was SOLD. 

A home game at Lambeau Field is an intoxicating experience, figuratively (and for some literally).  Those people are PASSIONATE.   I’d heard stories of lore about the frozen tundra, and seeing is believing.  But at Lambeau – EXPERIENCING, is believing.  The hours of traditional tailgating beforehand, the fans dressed up in dark green and gold football costumes & headdress, singing fight songs, the buzz of energy before kick-off…it was electric.  As a Chicagoan, I know it’s bad to say…but I walked away a fan.  They made me BELIEVE in the team, the town, the cause. 

Now can you imagine, walking out of a meeting with a prospect, and they feel like that?!  They become a fan?!  Impossible?  Perhaps, but how can we work toward that level of fandom?  It’s my view that not only do you need to share your excitement about why you can help them, you must also be open and willing to learn about why they’re excited about their work and fixing whatever problem they may be having. 

So, first off – seek first to understand, then to be understood.  Ask good questions - understand why you’re there.  What does success look like for them?  How is the current way of doing business not cutting it?  How will doing things differently improve their situation?  Was there a tipping point that prompted this meeting?  If you understand their “why”, chances are you can strike a common chord and empathize.  Everyone, including you, at one point or another, has tried to save money or be more efficient or just plain be BETTER.  By practicing empathy, you can in turn get excited about supporting them in realizing their definition of success.       

The second key?  Understand why you are there; this time, by “there”, I mean in your job.  What aspect of your job do you get excited about?  How does your widget help people?  What do you love about what you do?  And the biggest question – why do you do what you do?  If you can eloquently share and elaborate that with your potential customers, you’ll be two steps ahead of everyone else.  I encourage you to watch this great video by Simon Sinek (at least the first half) to explore this idea fully and help discover your WHY. (Side note - if you're not aligned with that WHY, start looking elsewhere)    

So, REMEMBER - sales is a transfer of ENTHUSIASM.  Sure, 72,928 impassioned fans behind you at your next meeting would help, but you don’t have that luxury.  Instead, practice and understand the above principles, combine it with a confident smile and positive body language, and you’re on your way to winning very enthusiastic fans.