Miss Congeniality

This week Aussie model and aspiring social worker, Jesinta Campbell was decorated with the second runners-up sash in the prestigious Miss Universe pageant. She also won the award for ‘Miss Congeniality’ for her sense of humour and warm personality. Good on her!

I’ll admit, when I heard Jesinta had been recognised for her personality; I was more impressed by that, than her third place in the pageant. The fact her personality shone so brightly, in my mind, makes her more attractive and interesting.

In “sales”, all things being equal – personality wins. To stand out in a cold, crowded and competitive market you can differentiate by showing your personality and inviting your customers in, rather than telling them what door they should walk through. In the process you offer contrast that gives them choice – either the same or you?

When you play the ‘same game’, you become boring and mundane and your customers will walk straight past. Moreover, if they stop, you don’t have a way of proving you’re any different to anyone else, so the relationship defaults to price. Enter price comparison at your own risk.

Granted, you may very well be boring; that’s always relative. Be that as it may, you still need to bring more of yourself to what you do. You don’t have to be overtly gregarious to be personable, you can bring more personality to the way you do things or come up with unique and interesting ways to present ideas and encapsulate your value in different ways.

If you choose to dilute your personality in a blatant attempt to be all things to all people you start playing the ‘same game’. This game becomes the graveyard for inauthentic people, who choose the road most travelled, rather than ‘baring all’ and showing the world who they really are and what’s truly important to them.

Actions to bring more personality to the ‘same game’:

• Never underestimate the power of humour – laughing is living!
• Share things about you that give people a real sense of who you are.
• Be vulnerable by showing your scars and being real.
• Stop selling and start listening and engaging people in a meaningful way.
• People are drawn to positive energy, so be positive.
• Be conscious of your energy and how it impacts others.
• Be genuinely interested in the best interests of others.
• Follow a career that allows you to be yourself and stay true, always.

Most salespeople get the cold shoulder from customers everyday in different ways. Just remember, “when you ‘bare all’ for your customers, you may get cold sometimes, but it sure beats the heck out of freezing all the time!

For more Selling Strategies advice, click here.

Trent Leyshan is the founder and CEO of BOOM Sales! a leading sales training and sales development specialist. He is also the creator of The NAKED Salesman, BOOMOLOGY! RetroService, and the Empathy Selling Process.