When I started selling, I quickly learned: It's never you and the prospect in the room. It's you, the prospect, and everyone who's tried to sell them something in the past. The deck is stacked. Bad selling is hurting us all. We can do better. We can be better.

1️⃣ Treat Prospects Like People The people you call on are not: - Revenue-producing units - Generic and personality-less - Boxes to check in a CRM They are human. Like you. Stop sending them all the same email. Stop with the tactics and pressure. Start with respect.

2️⃣ Separate Work From Worth Sales is a vocation, not a validation. But many of us have them twisted together. It's the feeling you need the sale. Not to make a living, but to make life worth living. This poisons the process. It gives you permission to win at all costs.

This Sounds Like: "No matter what happens, I'm okay. I will make this about them, not me." [To yourself - before you pick up the phone, log in to Zoom, write the email, or walk into the meeting.]

3️⃣ Seek First To Understand, Not Sell I get it. You believe in what you're selling. But most salespeople assume that everyone needs what they sell. Without asking a single question, they jump into a pressure-packed pitch. Diagnose before you prescribe.

This Sounds Like: "I appreciate you taking my call. We've been able to help a number of companies in your space. But that doesn't mean we'll be a fit for you. We won't know that until I ask you a few questions to understand your business. Would that be okay?"

4️⃣ Be Honest, Even If It Costs You Prospects don't trust you. They assume everything you say is either: - An outright lie - A self-serving half-truth - An inflated over-promise Putting "integrity" as a value on your website doesn't solve this. Demonstrating integrity does.

This Sounds Like: "I'd love to tell you we can have it in 2 weeks so you'll buy today. But, I need to let you know that right now we're running at 4 weeks. Does that mean we should be done talking?"

5️⃣ Practice Active Listening No one appreciates being interrupted, talked over, or lectured. But 90% of sales training is about getting the customer to disclose something then pouncing with features and benefits. People want to be heard, not sold.

This Sounds Like: "Thanks for filling me in on some of the issues you're having. What I think I heard you say is that response time is your biggest concern. Did I get that right?"

6️⃣ Take "No" For An Answer The worst sales advice ⏤ "Don't take 'no' for an answer." This has trained prospects to lie and hide. They fake interest. They say "maybe." Just to get you off the phone. Respect an honest "no." Leave the door open for a "yes" down the road.

This Sounds Like: "I appreciate you being direct enough to tell me this isn't a fit. I respect that. Business conditions are always changing. What doesn't work today might tomorrow. Would it be okay if I checked back with you in 3 months to see if anything's changed?"

7️⃣ Speak About Competitors With Honor You gain nothing from trashing your competition. And it could hurt you. If you're selling to someone who uses them, you just called that person stupid. Good luck with that sale. The prospect's talking to you for a reason. Uncover it.

This Sounds Like: "I've heard they do a great job and have a great product. To be honest, if you're using them, I'm not sure there's a reason for us to keep talking. Is there?"

8️⃣ Do What You Say You Will Do My dad always told me there's one thing I can do that will separate me from the pack: Whatever I said I would do. If you could tweak one thing to 10X your results (and help out the rest of us), Let that be it. Be a person of your word.

Salespeople are hated. And we're to blame. But we can fix it by: - Treating prospects like people - Separating our work from our worth - Seeking to understand - Being honest - Actively listening - Respecting an honest "no" - Honoring our competitors - Being true to our word

Thanks for investing your time in my thread. If it helped you, I'd be grateful if you'd: •Retweet the first tweet so others find it too •Follow me @wdmorrisjr ⏤ it encourages me to keep writing!

@wdmorrisjr Treating prospects like people is absolute gold! Amazing thread David, Thanks for sharing! 🙌🏻

@MakadiaHarsh Thanks, Harsh!

@wdmorrisjr Speaking badly about competition can backfire. Experienced this as a buyer so many times. Amazing playbook here, David!

@SachinRamje Agree completely, Sachin. It's a risk not worth taking. Plus, it always feels good to take the high road.