BossBitch

Account Executive

Valued Contributor

Let's talk about Humility and Vulnerability in your sales cycle

For context...

The human element is always very interesting and as we know, emotions play a massive role in the sales cycle, building rapport and gaining trust while also connecting their pain to your solution.

What I've noticed is that the times I've had to go to a prospect from a vulnerable place, and tell them "I was wrong" or "I misspoke" etc it has worked out incredibly in my favor.

One example, I made a $60,000 fuck up and the client had to pay that IN ADDITION to their already $120k contract. I had to get on a call, fall on my sword, and own it. But, they closed and I've noticed this trend moving forward.

Wondering... Has anyone else done this, noticed this, or employed this in your sales cycle?

Are you vulnerable with your prospects?

Attached poll

Yes No Never tried that

*Voting in this poll no longer yields commission.

👑 Sales Strategy

🤷‍♂ Poll

15

10 comments

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Ace

Arsonist

5

CEO

I think being vulnerable builds trust. Done carefully, it can get some great results

swizard

Celebrated Contributor

1

Sales Evangelist

Agreed with Ace! being cautious in the process can lead to a strong and fairly fast trust building.

KPIMaster

Politicker

2

Enterprise Account Executive

I do it all the time, being a real person works. They can tell when you’re being genuine.

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

1

☕️

You can own your mistakes, which is truly a practice of ethics, but do it in a pragmatic way. Employing vulnerability is far more difficult because you need to shed your armor and yield your power to the client/prospect for a moment, which is terrifying for any rep. I personally try to lead with empathy during customer conversations, which has leads to deeper relationships and fewer "but you told me..." conversations.

BossBitch

Politicker

1

Account Executive

Yes, it's very difficult and forces you out of your comfort zone, but truly, that is where we grow as individuals so I try to lean into it.

Chep

WR Officer

1

Bitcoin Adoption Specialist

Have not tried it, but love this idea and the story you shared. Will be more vulnerable with my prospects in the future

sketchysales

Politicker

1

Sales Manager

100% if i muck up and over promise or something goes wrong, i go low. 100% my fault. It wasnt the factories or anyone. It was mine, i was not clear blah blah blah. However, you can only do it once with the same prospect. learned that from experience.

CreateNSell

Good Citizen

0

Business Developer

I see no reason to act different as you did with your client.
Tell the client where you were wrong, but be pragmatic, direct to the point on what has caused the problem. Make the situation clear.

Offer to the client a solution at the end. Show him you will fix the problem, what are the steps you or your company will take to solve it.
Approach your client with a solution not just with bad news.

EQSales

Opinionated

0

VP of Sales

YES, all of it. I am in a position now where I talk to clients mostly who are executives new to the deal and working through commercials and business ROI. its critical to develop rapport. be direct. be genuine. be succinct. people appreciate this. if there is genuinely a win-win opportunity, why not call it out?

I consistently deliver our process, position, pricing, etc and immediately call out what is self-serving about it and also call out what is in it for them. my focus is on a win-win. If you don't see the win as the client, let's fix that. Life's too short to waste time dancing around objectives and PERSONAL wins. Plus its so much more fun to sell to people you connect with. I jumped on to play zombies with the EB while a deal was in paper process just last week. Have FUN!

PEOPLE buy, whatever it is you sell. They have fears, goals, wins, etc. its incredible how quickly people will share when you set the precedent of transparency.

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