What makes you trust someone when you know they’re trying to sell you something? And what’s that feeling when you’re being sold something and you feel like something is off? Would you call that intuition? A gut feeling? Vibes???
Now think about the opposite and remember a time when you had a great experience being sold something.
I like to relate this to serving because, just like a majority of the products we’re trying to sell, eating out is a nice to have, not a need to have. And the server is quite literally trying to sell you something. Whether that’s an experience, that osetra caviar, or even an idea of how that food is going to taste.
The best servers will paint the picture for you. But what really makes you believe them?
Is it the reputation of the restaurant?
Is it everything that happened between walking through the door and sitting down at the table?
Or is it something about the person standing in front of you? The way they talk about the food, the way they listen to you, or the confidence they have when answering your questions?
Because anyone can tell you that the hanger steak is amazing but a great seller makes you believe that you’ll think the hanger steak is amazing.
As I’ve been thinking about what selling will become in the age of AI, this difference really matters. A great seller isn’t just repeating everything they know. They’re paying attention to you, asking the right questions, picking up on what your preferences are and using that evidence to make recommendations specific to what you need.
A lot of skills we’ve historically valued in sales are getting cheaper. I don’t think they’re becoming less important. Research, product knowledge and being prepared still matter. But the effort that it takes to do those things well is changing.
If everyone can walk into the room prepared, what becomes the most valuable asset?
Maybe it’s your ability to make the person sitting across from you believe you.