I help tech sales AEs perform to their full potential in sales and life with coaching, courses, and community | Sales Coach | Former #1 Enterprise AE at Salesforce | $100M+ in career sales
What separates elite and average salespeople? The elite *care more* about their customers. Teddy Roosevelt said it best: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Customers can quickly and easily tell if you truly care about them by the way you engage and interact. If customers feel you care about their success as much as they do, they will want to work together if you can help them. Caring naturally leads to curiosity. When you care, you will dig deep during discovery to better understand the challenges your customers face and why they face them. When you care, you will take the time to understand what success looks like to the individuals you sell to and their companies. When you care, you will feel as invested in your customers’ success as they do. Caring cannot be faked. You have to genuinely care about your customers if you want to sell large deals that transform their business. To become a great salesperson, you must become a great person first.
"Caring naturally leads to curiosity."
I love that you're changing the whole attitude around this Ian. Thanks for leading the charge!
What separates elite salespeople from the average? It’s not the flashy suits or the latest sales tactics—it’s that elite salespeople genuinely care more about their customers. As Teddy Roosevelt wisely said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” In other words, if you treat your customers like a number, don’t be surprised when they treat your pitch like a spam email. When you genuinely care, curiosity becomes your superpower. You start asking the right questions, uncovering challenges like a detective on a hot case—only without the trench coat and magnifying glass. And let’s be real: caring can’t be faked. You can’t just slap on a smile and hope for the best. It’s like trying to sell a winter coat in July—people will see right through it! So, if you want to close those big deals and transform businesses, focus on becoming a great person first. The sales will follow, and who knows? You might even make a few friends along the way!
I couldn't agree more with your post! Caring is the key to building strong relationships with customers. It's not just about making a sale, but about understanding their needs and providing solutions that will help them achieve their goals. I believe that empathy is a crucial trait for any successful salesperson. By putting ourselves in our customers' shoes, we can better understand their pain points and provide tailored solutions that will truly make a difference. It's also important to maintain a genuine interest in our customers' success, even after the sale is made. This builds trust and loyalty, which can lead to repeat business and referrals. Thank you for sharing this valuable insight!
So true! You can’t fake genuine care—people sense it instantly. When you’re really invested in helping your customers win, everything changes.
Someone told me decades ago “you want the be a better salesman, start by being a better man”. (Gender correct as you need to, but still true) Sales isn’t about faking it and fooling customers and tricking prospects. Some symptoms of authenticity may be saying no, or asking why.
I'd like to give a "heart" to every sentence in this post if I could Ian Koniak. It's not only possible but *essential* to be empathetic and humane first and foremost to be great at sales, it's the only way to build the trust it takes to be true business partner!
⛔️ Losing deals to the status quo? | Sales Training + Coaching for B2B Sales Teams and AEs That Gets Results | 4X Salesforce Top Influencer | WSJ Best-Selling Author | Feat. in Forbes & Entrepreneur
2moThat "give a sh*t" factor IS a competitive advantage💪🏼