This week on the Wednesday Edition of Talk Business With Howard on Blog Talk Radio, the guest will be Lisa Earle McLeod. Lisa is the author of the business book, Selling With Noble Purpose: How To Drive Revenue And Do Work That Makes Your Proud. To listen to the live broadcast on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 11 AM/ET, click here – or bookmark this page and revisit later to listen to the replay of the show. The replay will be posted at the top of this page and can be listened to at any time. Thank you, Lisa, for being a guest on the radio show and for the guest blog post. -Howard-
Do You Have A Purpose? Or Do You Just Sell Stuff?
5 Reasons Why Your Noble Purpose Matters
by Lisa Earle McLeod
In an era where many companies are accused of being heartless sweatshops grabbing for every nickel and squeezing employees for more, having a larger purpose still matters.
People have become jaded about mission and vision statements. Too often, they’re meaningless platitudes put on a placard that hangs in the lobby (be honest).
A Noble Sales Purpose is different. A Noble Sales Purpose (NSP) is a definitive statement about how you make a difference in the lives of your customers. An NSP speaks to why you’re in business in the first place. Used correctly, your NSP drives every decision you make and every action you take. It becomes the underpinning for all your sales activities.
It’s a concrete reason to get out of bed, today.
Here’s why your Noble Sales Purpose matters:
- Purpose is why your organization exists. Purpose drives sales. You don’t have to create world peace. Your purpose can be helping customers be more successful or making a difference in your industry.
- Purpose makes you money. Jim Collins documented that organizations driven by purpose and values outperformed the market 15:1. Purpose may sound fluffy, but it translates into cash. Having a Noble Sales Purpose beyond making money almost always results in you making more money.
- Purpose isn’t just a feel good thing; it’s essential in a tough economy. One of our clients provides IT services to small businesses. Two years ago, if you asked their people what they did, they would have told you – “We sell IT services.” After we started working with them we made a critical shift. Now their CEO says, “Our Noble Sales Purpose is to help small businesses be more successful.” We pulled that purpose to the front and center of everything they do.The result: Their sales are up 35%. While most of their competitors are floundering, they increased revenues by 35%. Ask anyone in their organization what they do, and they’ll tell you. “We help small businesses be more successful, and we’re damn good at it!”
- Purpose-driven salespeople outperform product-driven salespeople. In a double-blind study I did with a major biotech company, the single unifying characteristic of the top performers was a sense of larger purpose. The salespeople who sold with noble purpose, who truly want to make a difference to customers, drove more revenue than the salespeople focused on sales goals and money.One top-performer summed it up saying, “If it’s 4:30 on a rainy Friday afternoon, other sales reps go home. I don’t. I make the extra sales call, because I know, I’m not just pitching a product. I’m saving people’s lives.”
- Purpose ignites the secret yearnings of the human heart. Human beings have two core emotional needs: connection and meaning. We want to have close personal relationships and we want our work to count for something. We want to make a difference.
I’ve worked with over 200 leading sales organizations, and spent 10,00 interviewing top performing reps; the data is clear:
If you want your organization to be average, focus on products and quotas.
If you want your organization to exceptional, find your Noble Sales Purpose and watch your team drive revenue through the roof.
Lisa Earle McLeod is a sales leadership consultant, writes leadership commentary for Forbes.com and is the author of Selling with Noble Purpose: How to Drive Revenue and Do Work That Makes You Proud.
Click HERE to read an excerpt from the book: http://www.mcleodandmore.com/what-is-selling-with-noble-purpose/
Get free sales leadership tips and videos: http://www.McLeodandMore.com