The best sales advice I can give you: authentic selling

This is a great question from Andy and the short answer is “Yes!”

The question then becomes “Why do you partake of your products?”

For those of you who don’t know – my company designs and installs thermal spas (saunas, steam baths, mud baths, snow cabins etc). So you can immediately see why I partake in the use of my products. Who wouldn’t? I don’t often hear people saying, “Arrr, spit. Gotta use that sauna again. What a nightmare!”

But I think there is a deeper issue involved in all of this – and it is that old fashioned word authenticity.

Authentic involvment

I personally believe that to sell something well, you have to be authentic. For me to be authentic about the sauna, I have to use the sauna. If I believe that these are great products to sell, if I believe that they really do help with personal wellbeing and can see the health benefits of them – then I must be using them in my personal life otherwise my sales aren’t authentic.

In fact, if I want to be really authentic – then I should be using them along with my family and friends. I have even taken it a step further and made it possible for the staff to use them on a regular basis too. When the technical staff talks to customers it has to be out of a place of really understanding the product from both head knowledge and personal experience.

How many bosses do you know tell their staff to regularly use the sauna suite in the office?

Mark Mitchell owns Mitchell Group, a multiple car showroom selling Mazda, Skoda and Lexus in Chester. Mark is a great guy (we’ll be doing an en-thuse interview soon). It is easy for Mark to use his product – he has some great cars. But he also has his staff use the cars too – so when you speak to the people at Mitchell group, you know they are authentic.

The guys at Apple all have their own iPhone. They all spoke to me about the iPad that they have got (or are going to get). They are being authentic (ironically, their portable sales machine was windows based for a time).

Authenticity is the key to great sales

For me authenticity is perhaps the key point to sales. Here are some conversations that I have had with people:

The double-glazing salesman

Me: “if this is as good as you say it is, you will have put it in your own house? Can you have you company send me a copy of your order?”

Salesman: “I don’t have it at my house, we have some other double glazing.”

With all the saleman that have knocked on my door, not one has been been able to tell me that they have it. If I was to sell double glazing as a career I would not only take customer testimonials with me – I would take a copy of the order proving that I have it in my own house (and some photos too). Testimonials give credibility. My personal order would bring authenticity.

The solar panel guys

Me: “so your solar panels are easy-to-install, will save me money and are environmentally friendly? That’s amazing. What’s the downside?”

Solar Panel guy: “None, especially with our easy payment plan – they become cost neutral.”

Me: “Wow! Can I ask – how much money have you saved and how much impact have you had on the environment by using them?”

Solar Panel guy: “Oh, I haven’t got them installed at my house.”

Conversation over.

Electric & Gas Company Folk

Knock at the door. I answer

Sales lady: “Hi there, are you interested in saving money on your gas and electricity?”

Me: “Always!”

Sales lady: “Great – I am from Acme Power Company and we will save you 20% on your power bills.”

Me: “As much as that! Can I ask – do you use this company at your own house?”

Sales lady: “What do you mean?”

Me: “Well, before we go any futher, I want somone from your company to send me a copy of your recent bill.”

Sales lady: “….er….”

Conversation over.

I always ask the mobile phone salespeople – what phone have you got? The TV person at Currys what TV have they got? I am surprised how many of the staff at Mercedes drives other cars.

The Authentic Business Start Up

I have noticed this in companies that I have set up too. When I have been involved in businesses that I can be authentic about – I succeed. When we sold websites – we had to have one. When we ventured into doing ecommerce – the first online shop I set up was my own. I could then be authentic with my customers.

I tried selling anti-spiking devices once. But I couldn’t be authentic about it.  I did it because I thought it would just make me money. I lost money. My heart wasn’t in it because to be authentic you have to out your heart into it.

Authentic Websites & Social Media

The web can easily loose authenticity I think. Web sites can be deeply impersonal but social media now adds that level of authenticity. I’ve recently had a few interactions with webtogs.co.uk and I think they do authenticity on the web well.

The guy that owns the bike shop around the corner from me is great at servicing my mountain bike. He has a shop and a website. His website though, just sells product. That’s it. I am not sure I’d buy a bike off them though as he still cycles on an old bike that he has had for years. He doesn’t use the product he sells.

I understand he can’t use every bike. I understand that Gareth at Webtogs can’t use every sleeping bag that he sells. But they should try them out. Or someone in the company should try them out. And they should definitely be using something from their stock…and making it easy for their staff to do so to.

Brand Authentic

The guys at Mitchell Mazda can’t own every Mazda, but they can be brand-authentic, and drive a Mazda that suits them. And they do. The guys at Mini should follow that example. I went to test drive a mini-cooper recently and the salesman drove a VW Golf GTI. What does that say?

Should I write a book on Being Authentic?

No-one has ever asked me before if I use the saunas that I sell (thanks Andy, I have been waiting for someone to ask). I don’t use them so I can tell customers that I use them. I use them because I really believe the “feel well” message that I present. That authenticity comes through when I talk to customers, even if they don’t really ask me directly. They notice it.

Be authentic in what you deliver is the best sales advice that I can give you. Build your foundation here and the rest will follow. Maybe I should write a book on authentic selling…mmmmm