We have created The Selling Better Movement with the hope it will help people understand that there’s a better way of doing business.
A way in which we can all be prosperous.
The Selling Better Movement is an ethical and human-centred selling ethos underpinned by a practical selling philosophy.
The modern business landscape offers a world of possibility. More and more people are stepping out to unearth new opportunities, bring ideas to market, start organisations, and connect and engage in new and exciting ways.
Everybody lives by selling something. Whether we think of ourselves as sales people or not, if we have an idea, product, service, skill, talent or opportunity that can benefit someone else, we need to be able to sell.
The profession of selling has been hijacked by the bad behaviour of a few, leaving a negative perception of selling and sales people as a whole. However, selling is a vital life skill that allows opportunity to flourish.
The Selling Better Movement is about consciously reclaiming and practicing the true essence of selling.
W hat we believe in
We believe in long term and sustainability
- Human- centred, ethical selling is a better and more sustainable way of doing business, in the short and long term. We are putting humanity back on the corporate map and endorse buying and selling experiences that treat people with dignity and respect
- We are for long term strategies and sustainable business practices, not short termism and consumerism
- Sales is the oxygen that fuels the fire of opportunity
- Business is essentially an answer to human needs and if there is no need to satisfy, there is no business and no exchange of money, resources or value
- Teams, organisations, customers and communities flourish when great ideas, initiatives, products or services gain traction and change the world for the better. Without customers and people who can sell, organisations cannot exist
We believe everybody lives by selling something
- Everybody can learn how to sell and sell better; and be confident to sell themselves, their idea, product or service; whether they call themselves a salesperson or not
- If you sell ethically you should never feel ashamed of the act of selling itself or being called a salesperson, ever
- Negative stereotypes of selling create destructive beliefs systems and behaviours that hold many people back from reaching their true and full potential; by embracing our inner salesperson we can begin to release our talents and capabilities to the world and flourish in ways we hadn’t imagined before
- Selling advances people’s careers and benefits everybody
We believe selling is about a fair exchange of value
- Selling is about creating a fair exchange of value between buyer and seller
- Selling is about forging healthy viable relationships, recognising these relationships do not remain static and unchanged. They are designed to be stress-tested, to grow and change; they thrive on trust, openness and honesty, and result in new ideas and shared common ground on which to build better outcomes together
- We believe we cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community… Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes, for our own and for the planet
P rinciples
- ABOVE ALL, DO NO HARM (PRIMUM NON NOCERE)
That’s the basic guiding principle when making decisions. Peter Drucker* said that this should be the first responsibility of every professional. We stand by it. We will never knowingly do harm to people including businesses, customers, suppliers, communities or the planet.
- EVERYBODY LIVES BY SELLING SOMETHING
Understand that selling is everybody’s business and everybody lives by selling something. Regardless of our roles, everyone needs to persuade or influence others at some stage or another, whether it is to gain buy-in to an idea, product or service or to get a job. Regardless of our roles, we are all ambassadors in the value chain of business that connects us with each other.
- CLIENT-CENTRED EQUALS HUMAN-CENTRED
If there is no human need to satisfy, there is no business, no customers and no exchange of money, resources or value. Business is an answer to human needs. It is our duty to be human-centred. This means looking after customers, employees, suppliers, communities and the planet. Human-centred selling is the means by which we create and generate real opportunity.
- THE POWER OF PURPOSEFUL ACTION
Purposeful action combines purpose, process and people. Having a clear vision of what we want to accomplish makes it easier to communicate and engage with others. Knowing why we are doing what we are doing and how we do what we do gets us back on track if we get scattered or distracted. Purposeful action is about finishing what we start and persevering until we get results.
- DISCERNMENT
Discernment is the ability to judge well. The ability to stand up for what is right and be courageous in the face of adversity and ethically compromising situations; this can mean saying ‘no’ to opportunities that do not serve us or our clients or our communities well.
- THE VALUE OF RECIPROCITY
Selling is all about the fair exchange of value. Just as personal relationships thrive when each person gives something of value, so too, do business connections. By working towards a true and fair exchange of value, both buyer and seller strengthen their connection and achieve better results together.
- KINDNESS & CURIOSITY ARE CONTAGIOUS
When we genuinely listen to others and seek to understand, empathise, explore and help we will create effective mutually-beneficial solutions. When we take the opportunity to lift others up, not pull them down, we find people want to work with us because they know we have their best interests at heart. In return, we’ll be rewarded with deeper connections in business and life.
- COURAGE & PERSISTANCE CREATE RESILIENCE
Successful, sustainable careers, causes and organisations do not happen by chance; they are underpinned by courage and persistence. The courage to take a vision to market and the persistence to see it through knowing we will be tested all the way. By facing challenges, standing strong in the face of moral dilemmas, bouncing back from adversity, learning from mistakes and listening to that little voice at the end of the day that reminds you to try again tomorrow, enables each of us to lead a resilient and ethical sales career and business.
- HONESTY & AUTHENTICITY
The focus is on developing sales cultures and practices where engaging in honest and open conversations, creative and innovative thinking, and building authentic relationships is intrinsic to doing good business. Authentic engagement allows sustainable relationships and opportunities to flourish.
- LESS ME, MORE WE
Look outwards and find ways to serve others. Lead with empathy, collaboration and cooperation. When we purposefully and consistently connect and engage with each other to explore opportunity, we create the space to ignite real and viable business results and outcomes, inside and out. By helping others we help ourselves.
- SYSTEMS THINKING
As the world gets more complex, leading and managing teams and businesses becomes more challenging. Replace linear thinking with multiple threads and complex variable systems that embrace human beings and their ambiguities, yet still allow for function, adaptation and evolution.