I came across this great quote while reading Give and Take, by Adam Grant.
My mindset is not to sell. My job is to help
I can’t think of a more succinct way to describe the mindset required to be successful in today’s selling world.
The mindset of a helper puts the prospect or customer first. A helper starts with the problems, challenges and issues of those they are trying to help and that’s where the magic happens.
To be a helper you have to take the time to truly understand what it is your customers and prospects are struggling with. You have to be engaged in their world, embracing their challenges, their problems, their fears, their goals and their objectives. To be a helper you have to come last, if at all.
Here’s the challenge, few of us are good at putting ourselves last. But being a helper requires more giving than taking and that’s a difficult transition for most people and most sales organizations.
Are you a helper or a seller?
Here is an easy, nonscientific way to find out.
Take a look at how you currently engage your customers and prospects. Give yourself 1 point every time you are thinking or working from the customers point of view. Anytime you put the prospect or customers needs first, you get a point. Then take away a point for every time you think about or talk about your product, say we, I, or describe your own product or service. What does your score look like? If it’s the positive you’re a helper. If it’s a negative number you’re a seller.
Here is some deliberate learning for all sales people and sales leaders. Learn how to build helping organizations and become helpers not sellers. It will make a HUGE difference.
I like the concept you describe here, but it’s about a learning experience, not an apprenticeship. There are lots of differences that don’t matter, but there a couple that do.
In an apprenticeship both master and apprentice agree to a specific program or period of time. During that time, the apprentice learns the trade under the instruction of the master, but the master gets the benefit of the apprentice’s work.
The difference between your friend’s learning experience and an apprenticeship is that the firm wasn’t engaged in teaching per se and there was no “test” at the end to prove that the apprentice was prepared to move on.
Wally, I agree with you.
I think most people today have to create their own “apprenticeship” like Fred did. The goal of my post is to encourage more organizations and people to create formal apprenticeships as you described.
There is opportunity for that. There are a lot of benefits. I’d like to see it.
Apprenticeship programs are common in the crafts, but rare among “knowledge workers.” One exception is the Software Craftsmanship movement which applies the model to writing code.
They would do well in the “knowledge workers” environment.
They would do well in the “knowledge workers” environment.
You have some great points here. It only makes sense being involved in an apprenticeship program is beneficial to the employer as well as the employee. To possibly have the chance to learn a trade or business from the experts how could that not make sense. It is to bad more companies today don’t invest in this value, it can only benefit all.
It is unfortunate, a lot could be gained.