How Being You is What They Need

Greetings:
I can't tell you how many times I have read, listened to, or been "coached" that to be successful in sales a person must be "this way or that way".  Often, the teaching will include phrases like, "get out of your comfort zone", "great is the pain and great is the reward", etc (insert your favorite, "be like me" platitude".  THIS IS JUST NOT THE CASE!

See, the most important thing any sales person can do, is be themselves.  If you are selling something that requires you to be something other than authentic, THEN QUIT....NOW.  The key to success in sales is to know that you are adding value to someone, and you are able to do it, without having to be someone else.  However,  I am not saying that a salesperson shouldn't seek to improve their ability to communicate the value, and/or the solutions that they have for the person/company they are wanting to partner with.  As a matter of fact, if you don't care about what you are doing enough to spend time dedicated to improvement, you might not care enough to be someone who is committed to adding value. 
Here are three keys to consider about a sales position:

1. What is the mission of the company you are representing?  I love what I do!  Part of the reason I can say that, is the mission that our company has.  "Empowering worthwhile organizations to impact more lives through effective fundraising."  That just overflows with "them".  
2. What is the vision of the company you are representing?  Even when a mission is inspiring, the vision could move in a direction that is different than what you think it should be.  This can be easy to adapt to, or a change in this could literally change everything.
3. Is the company really providing solutions? When I say "solutions" I mean, what is sold is solving the problem - period!  

If you examine this criteria and find that you are inspired by each, then you are in a great situation! Of course, there are many other facets of working for a company that can affect your experience, but that is for another post.  As long as these three criteria are met, then you just need to be "authentic".  On a side note here - if you have not read "Go-Givers Sell More" by Bob Burg and John David Mann yet, that really needs to be "step 1". Being authentic is the most important attribute of any truly successful salesperson - not rich sales person.  I define successful sales as "Providing measurable value through real solutions while building great relationships!"  When you do this, every time you make a sale...You are 'Winning For Them."