Learn Speak Teach Epuside 38 with Andy Paul

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If you’re “selling out,” you’re putting your own interest before your buyers. Your job is to persuade people to buy your product, regardless of their concerns, which is a narrow focus. With such a mindset, you don’t focus on what the buyers true interests are.

Selling out will make you perceived as pushy and manipulative even when you think you aren’t. Selling out creates a pervasive stereotype that portrays salespeople as selfish and thoughtful about just what they want instead of helping buyers get what they need.

In this episode, Andy Paul is going to teach us how to sell without selling out to create the impact we desire.

Andy has more than 30 years of experience as a sales professional and vice president of sales with enterprises ranging from fortune thousand companies to technology startups. As the founder and the principal of Sales Action Group, he has consulted with numerous CEOs to help them discover the key to consistent service. Andy is also the host of the Sales Enablement Podcast with Andy Paul and the author of multiple best-selling books, most recently, “Sell Without Selling Out; A Guide to Success on Your Own Terms.”

Let’s tap into some of his wisdom.

During this episode, you will learn about;

[00:00] Pre-show

[02:41] Episode intro and a quick bio of our guest; Andy Paul

[04:32] How Andy worked his way up to where he is today

[08:17] Selling out and selling in and what they mean in sales

[10:11] Curiosity and generosity in helping buyers get what they want

[15:47] What selling out actually looks and feels like

[20:10] Why some are getting worse in sales despite the amazing technology available to us

[24:04] Selling not to a persona but to a person

[26:20] How to start deepening connection and understanding with buyers

[32:03] When to present your vision as a solution to buyers

[36:19] Buying as a complex pursuit, and what buyers want from sellers

[40:45] The key to building trust and connection to create impact

[44:10] Not interested is still a level of interest?

[47:44] Taking control of your sales career vs. comfort

[50:01] Who has been influential in Andy’s career recently from his podcast

[51:51] Rapid Fire Round

[52:27] About the “Salesy” sales quiz.

[53:08] Ending the show and call to action

Key Takeaways

~ If you’re selling out, your job is to persuade people to buy your product, which is a narrow focus, and with that mindset, you can’t focus on what is more important to buyers. ~ [08:43]

~ Selling-in is based on a mindset that your job is not persuading people to do something but to listen to the buyer to understand the things that are truly important to them and helping them get what they need. ~ [09:43]

~ If you put in the framework to help buyers make a decision, you’re likely to lean on your connection to curiosity to understand your generosity and help the buyer do that. ~ [13:32]

~ When buyers are making decisions about something, all they remember is their experience with you as a seller. ~ [22:03]

~ When people buy, they buy from a human, not from a company or a process, so it’s important as a seller to be intentional about bringing the best version of yourself to every interaction with a buyer. ~ [23:09]

~ Every time a buyer invests some time and attention in you as a seller, just like any other investment in life, they are expecting returns. ~ [37:45]

~ If a lot of people are uninterested, go find people who are; change the way you’re targeting, your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile), and other variances you can control as a seller. ~ [45:24]

~ Having an acumen in sales is not about knowing how your one situation is similar to another but knowing how they are different and being able to respond at the moment. ~ [48:23]

~ The more you better yourself in sales, the more you find it easier to connect with buyers and build that level of trust; being transparent about who you are, leaves success in so many dimensions. ~ [51:35]