Move Over Alexa It’s Time to Re-Humanize the Sales Process

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Effective Sales A.I. Is Great, But There Are Human Things It Can’t Replace

Most sales professionals these days are excited about the ways A.I. is changing the sales landscape. Automated lead generation and lead nurture, as well as the way follow-up can be streamlined effectively, are just some of the benefits technology is bringing to the world of sales.

But there are certain things tech can’t and shouldn’t replace. Among those is the human quality of empathy. In this conversation, Shari Levitin explains how empathy builds trust, why it takes a human to express it, and how sales leaders can strategically hire and build their teams around the soft skills needed to complement new sales technologies and close more deals.

The PEOPLE Who Implement Your Sales Process Make The Biggest Difference

Shari points out that if we neglect the human aspect of sales, we do so to our own peril. There is a person on the other side of every sales conversation or interaction and the responses to their needs that lead the sales process forward are the ones that are most human.

Drawing from a new book, “The Road To Character,” Shari points out that there are two kinds of virtues in people – Resume Virtues and Eulogy Virtues. Both are important, but it’s the Eulogy Virtues that are of greatest value when it comes to hiring and training effective sales teams.

What ARE Eulogy Virtues? They are the kinds of things people would emphasize or memorialize in a eulogy – things like kindness, curiosity, drive, and a growth mindset. Hiring managers need to have these in view as they consider candidates for the sales positions in their organization. Why? Because they are the traits that enable sales reps to be agile enough to learn, hustle, and build trust with customers in the fast-paced sales world we live and work in.

You May Be Missing Quota Because Your Sales Process Is Not Human Enough

In its 2018 – 2019 Sales Performance Study report, CSO Insights revealed that 45.7% of sales professionals are missing their sales quotas. That’s a consistent drop from recent years. In this conversation, Bernie was very curious how Shari interprets the research and asked for her opinion. He was mostly curious whether it reveals that the adoption of sales tech has distracted sales reps from the more human aspects of the sales process.

Shari says that very often, the issue with missing quota is not that sales reps aren’t making enough calls, but that they are not making the right kind of calls. She means that their sales presentations and conversations are lacking some of the human skills needed to make them effective. The good news is that it’s a problem that can be fixed. Listen to learn how.

Why Your Sales Reps Must Do What Alexa Can’t Do

As A.I. is implemented more and more in the sales industry, the effective salespeople of the future will be skilled at doing what Alexa and the other technologies can’t do. Shari refers to those things by using the acronym C.A.L.L. It describes 4 things that only a human can do…

• CONNECT to another human
• ASK questions that get to the heart of why people would buy
• LISTEN to the emotion, what is not said, what’s being said by things like body language
• LINK all that to a brighter future for the customer that connects to their product or service

Listen to this great conversation. You’ll see why Shari is one of the most powerful and compassionate speakers on the sales circuit. You’ll also understand why you should consider purchasing her new book Heart and Sell and see her speak live at the upcoming Frost and Sullivan STAR event February 11 – 13, 2019. Look below for a discount code for the event.

Featured on This Episode

• Website: https://www.sharilevitin.com
• Shari’s new book: Heart and Sell: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1632650746
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharilevitin/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sharilevitin
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShariLevitinGroup/

Outline of This Episode

• [0:44] Why Shari is on the show to discuss the importance of building trust
• [3:28] It’s important to keep the human factor in the sales process, in spite of A.I tech
• [5:50] The soft skills needed and why sales leaders are accepting Shari’s message
• [8:30] How to hire sales people in light of humanizing the sales process
• [11:28] Dealing with your existing situation means leaders have to lead the way
• [13:49] How much of missing quotas is that sales reps lack a human component?
• [20:12] Is it harder to sell today than it was 20 to 25 years ago?

Resources & People Mentioned

This episode is sponsored by Frost & Sullivan’s STAR event for Sales leaders taking place February 11-13, 2019 in Lake Tahoe, NV. Register for the event at https://Frost.com/Vengreso and use the discount code MARIO at registration for a $250.00 savings.

• BOOK: The Road To Character by David Brooks: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0812983416
• CSO Insights: https://www.csoinsights.com/
• The Selling With Social Podcast with Vengreso CEO, Mario Martinez, Jr
• Xvoyant: Coaching platform company: https://www.xvoyant.com/
• Rob Jeppsen, Founder and CEO of Xvoyant: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robjeppsen/

Connect With Bernie and Social Business Engine

• https://www.facebook.com/modernmarketingengine
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernieborges/
• https://twitter.com/bernieborges
• https://instagram.com/bernieborges
• https://twitter.com/mmenginepodcast

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This podcast originally appeared on Social Business Engine

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