📄 Wanting Something from People VS Wanting Something for People

Had a chat with an old friend the other day - one of the guys who used to visit the monastery.

He’s in business too these days, so it was fun to chat and compare notes.

And once again, I had someone tell me “I don’t like selling”.

“I don’t like that the moment you have something for sale, it’s a nasty situation, because it means you want something from people”.

Is that true though?

Me, I’ve got plenty for sale, but I can't say I want anything from anyone.

Instead, I want things for other people. Not from other people.

For instance, I want for my readers - hey you! 👋 - to enjoy a daily dose of healthy business & sales thinking.

I want for clients to get the very best of me, and for them to transform their life and their business.

And for potential clients, I want for them to make the best possible decision, whether that means working with me, or not.

(Both outcomes are fine by me, so long as the outcome is the best one for the person I happen to be talking to.)

So my friend suffers from two problems: first is the good-egg problem, where the better kind of person someone is, the more they prevent themselves from getting out there and helping people - i.e. getting their work bought. A very common thing.

The second problem is in his way of thinking, because:

It’s never about getting anything from people. Not for people who operate from the heart.

And, when you also sell from the heart, when you enroll because you’d truly love to work with that person, and they themselves buy in voluntarily, you’re not taking anything: you’re giving.

And as long as the sales conversation goes on, you get to give them super powerful and enjoyable conversations, the kind that will help, and that will be remembered.

And if the stars align, the other person will stop you and say "How do I get more of this?" or "When do we start?" or "How does it work?"

It isn't "I want something from you", it's:

"If you are this kind of person, I have something for you".

And when it’s ‘no sale’?

Then it wasn't for them, at this point.

But if you do it right, you’ll have had such a pleasant exchange, that the non-buyer remembers it positively, which means they’ll be happy to hear from you when you follow up.

And you never know when someone will ready themselves to buy. (hint: it's never when we're trying to push. that isn't 'being ready', that's 'being coerced').

Selling the way nice people do it, is about having something for someone, wanting something for them. That's how you get to seeing people enroll themselves voluntarily.