“Sales Doesn’t Work”: Changing Your Sales Mindset with Diane Helbig

I love sales. It was one of my first jobs before I went into accounting, and it was the hat that was hardest to give up when I grew my business.  
But so many business owners hate it. They find it unnatural, awkward and ineffective.  
That’s why I couldn’t agree more with Diane Helbig , internationally recognized business and leadership development advisor, when she says in a recent podcast interview , “Stop selling, because sales doesn’t work” – in the traditional sense of the word, that is.  
Back in the day, before the internet, consumers didn’t have a choice. They needed a salesman to knock on their door and educate them about whatever product they had in their briefcase.
But Diane argues that today, “You can’t sell things to people. People will buy things from you when they want what you have to sell, and they like and trust you.  
That’s why business owners should give up those forced behaviors that make them – and the potential client – uncomfortable. “That slick salesy attitude of persuading, convincing and cajoling, they don’t like the feeling of it,” she says. “They feel like they have to do it, but it’s not working, so either they don’t do it at all or they do it really poorly.”  
If it’s not working, she offers, why not try something different?  
“If we can get away from all of that, what we're really doing is helping people problem-solve, because we're understanding their problem and if our service can help them. If we’ve listened to them, then we're just showing that we're walking down the same road together.”  
To get there, Diane recommends a curiosity-first approach: educating ourselves on prospective clients before even reaching out, listening to what they have to say, and then asking meaningful questions that help us discover if we’re truly a good fit.  
A curiosity-first approach to sales is a win-win. We find aligned clients who are happy to pay for our services and who stick around for longer.  
Here’s how to adopt this sales mindset – for you and your team.