Sales Intimacy—Scott’s Sales Yoga Thought for the Day

Having to tell my son, Ben, his dog had to be euthanized this past Tuesday is now on my top ten list of life’s crappy moments. Seeing him cry as he said goodbye to Max, yep, that’s on the list as well. That same day, a girl with whom he was starting a relationship suddenly ended their friendship by text. As Ben put it, “this day can’t get any worse.”

As a Dad, I want to shield Ben from these hurts in life. But I can’t, which really pisses me off at times! So I did the next best thing—sit with him, listen to him, cry with him, and even dish about what a jerk the girl was being. Being present can’t make up for the pain, however, it creates a shared intimacy that’s makes these moments a little more tolerable.

This is what’s often missing in sales—truly intimate conversations where the salesperson is so present that the buyer has an experience that transcends the selling. Our presence is one the greatest gifts we can give anyone, including customers.

Instead of thinking ahead of what you’re going to say next, think and be in the moment, hanging on all the words being said as though they were a precious commodity—which they are. Another person trusting you with their thoughts is about as precious as life can get.