This morning, as I opened my daily email from Bob Berg, I was struck by a simple but profound reminder: Sales is, and always should be, about people. The email emphasized a key truth—that a prospect is merely a label we assign to someone with a challenge or need we aim to help solve. It challenged me to reflect on the essence of what we do as sales and marketing professionals. At its core, any transaction begins with a person—an individual with unique needs, concerns, and goals.
What Is a Prospect?
The term “prospect” is ubiquitous in sales. But step back for a moment and ask yourself: Where else do we use the term outside of a sales context? We don’t. “Prospect” is a transactional tool, a way to label individuals as potential customers or opportunities. While it serves as a useful shorthand in a business setting, it risks reducing people to a concept rather than honoring them as individuals.
In sales, we also use terms like stakeholders or ideal clients to help define the entities we want to target or influence. But even these terms don’t fully capture the reality that, at the end of the day, we are interacting with people. These are individuals with needs, wants, and challenges—as well as emotions, concerns, and aspirations.
Shifting the Mindset: Person Before Prospect
To be truly effective in sales, we need to shift our mindset from a transactional focus to a people-first approach. When we see the individual behind the prospect label, we start to connect on a deeper level. This connection goes beyond solving a problem or closing a deal—it’s about understanding and delivering genuine value.
Consider the excerpt from Bob Berg and David Mann’s book, Go-Givers Sell More:
“There is no such thing as a ‘prospect’ in real life. It is a concept that exists only in the salesperson’s mind, and the more it exists in your mind, the more it can crowd out thoughts of the actual flesh-and-blood person standing in front of you. Making sales is a concept. Touching lives is a reality. Sales is not about concepts; it’s about people.”
This quote underscores the importance of recognizing the humanity of the individuals we engage with. Viewing someone as a prospect limits our ability to truly understand their needs. However, when we see them as a person first, we open the door to meaningful conversations and impactful solutions.
Why This Matters
Putting people first transforms the sales process. It builds trust, fosters collaboration, and often leads to outcomes far more valuable than a simple transaction. Here’s how this mindset shift can impact your sales strategy:
Deeper Understanding: When you see the person first, you’re more likely to ask thoughtful questions and uncover underlying needs. This leads to tailored solutions that create real value.
Stronger Relationships: People do business with those they trust. Demonstrating genuine interest in a person’s challenges and goals helps build lasting relationships.
Increased Success: A people-first approach doesn’t just feel good—it works. Clients are more likely to partner with someone who prioritizes their success over simply making a sale.
How to Focus on the Person
To adopt this perspective, start by reframing your mindset. Here are a few practical steps:
Engage with Empathy: Ask yourself, “What does this person need, and how can I help?” before thinking about how to pitch your product or service.
Listen Actively: Go beyond surface-level questions. Show genuine curiosity about their challenges, aspirations, and values.
Deliver Value First: Instead of focusing on closing a deal, consider how you can add immediate value through advice, resources, or connections.
Build Trust Through Authenticity: Be transparent and sincere in your interactions. People can sense when you’re genuinely invested in their success.
A Call to Action
As sales and marketing professionals, we have the privilege of solving problems and creating opportunities for people. But to do so effectively, we must remember that every prospect is, first and foremost, a person. Let’s move beyond labels and concepts to engage authentically, build trust, and deliver value. In doing so, we’re not just closing deals—we’re touching lives and making a difference.
Let’s embrace a people-first mindset in everything we do. After all, sales isn’t just about products or numbers; it’s about creating meaningful connections that drive real impact.
Tidewater Solutions Group, LLC, powered by Sales Xceleration, is uniquely positioned to help transform strategies and sales approaches by championing a people-first approach to selling. We help teams go beyond the transaction to truly deliver results for both company and client. Reach out to Shawn Dunahue, CSL, at sdunahue@tidewatersg.com or 941-320-2131 to explore how we can help you or your organization.
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