One of the most fascinating addresses I’ve experienced was a keynote speech given by Dan Pink in 2015 at a San Diego conference for law firm marketing. Mr Pink is best selling author of “To Sell is Human”, covering the new principles of influence.

Sales is no longer a dirty word

Pink argued that the traditional negativity associated with sales was the result of buyers having less information than sellers, few choices of what they could buy and no way to talk back to the seller.  It was, by definition, ‘buyer beware’.  

The seismic shift in the availability and transparency of information today has changed the relationship to one of ‘seller beware’. And with this has come a new found interest in evidence based-selling.

Sales reimagined

To help professionals reconsider ‘sales’ in light of these changes, Pink directed the audience to research by Adam Grant from Wharton School of Management. His studies showed that, far from the ingrained image of the extroverted ‘spivvy’ salesman, the most effective salespeople (by a wide margin) aren’t really extroverts at all. They are the ‘ambiverts’: the people who are neither extremely introverted nor extroverted, but possess the best characteristics of both.  

5 WAYS TO FIND YOUR FIRM’S AMBIVERT VOICE

Pink suggested that there are five simple ways firms can capitalise on the new sales paradigm to help win more work:

1. Focus on the ambiverts when deciding on your firm’s leadership positions. By their nature they know when to push and when to listen. They know they don’t have to try to be an extrovert or a ‘glad-handler’ to be effective at sales. They’re more likely to be authentic by being themselves. This builds trust.

2. Get leaders to consciously ‘turn their power down’ when dealing with people both internally and external. This will help them take on board more perspectives and consider things more fully. That’s because there's often an inverse relationship between power and the ability to see problems from other’s point of view.

3. Practice imagining what the other side is thinking.  When we become overwhelmed with data, thinking takes over emotional intelligence (EQ). So step back and get clarity by deliberately trying to see things through another set of eyes.

4. Start taking your physical cues from the other side. This can often help you better understand how they are thinking. Even adopting (not mirroring) the same stance or language will help adjust your approach.

5. Stop spending time trying to pitch, persuade or change minds. Instead, invest time in making it easier for others to act. This includes creating an ‘off-ramp’ of options for decision making. You can read more on how sales is changing and what you can do to capitalise on it in this article in the Washington Post.  Or read this piece to find out how leaders can lose touch.

Alternatively, you can even test your own ambiversion here.

Other ideas that came out of the Conference

While Dan Pink’s talk was fascinating, it was just one of several great sessions that I went to.

One of the more talked about sessions included focusing effort on building the next generation of rainmakers in professional services firms by starting early with their business development training.

Another looked at the increasing use of client feedback in the ordinary flow of doing business – rather than treating it as a once-off project.

If you’d like to know more, get in touch for a personalised Zoom chat or call.

References & FURTHER READING

Cialdini R (2016) Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way To Influence. (book)

Pink D (2013) Why Extroverts Fail, Introverts Flounder, and You Probably Succeed, Washington Post, 28 January issue.

Pink, D A Personality Assessment (4-minute online survey)

Pink, D (2013) To Sell Is Human : The Surprising Truth About Moving Others

Prodonovich S (2015) How US Law Firms Are Building The Next Generation of Rainmakers

Wadhera V (2009) Losing Touch: Power Diminishes Perspective and Perception, Kellogg Insight, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University

Sue-Ella is the Principal of Prodonovich Advisory, a business dedicated to helping professional services firms sharpen their business development practices, and attract and retain good clients.

©Prodonovich Advisory. Please respect our copyright and the effort taken to produce the original material in this article. This article, and any portion of it, may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.