Cooperation and Connection Versus Competition

The core of Inspire Sales is connection.  At times it feels as though I’m selling a new age way to do business that seems uncertain and intangible.  It’s a difficult thing to sell, however for me a fundamental part of our lives personally and professionally.  To me connection sits side by side with cooperation and sees competition as an unhealthy way to manage life AND business.  If the fundamental way a person runs their business or life is through competition then they risk seeing not seeing themselves or their business as they are, but in comparison to something or someone else.  Rather than develop our unique identity and develop our strengths, we look next door and either try to beat other people at their lives or their businesses or put our heads down, fold our cards and walk away.

Since I have chosen to venture on my own, countless people have suggested books for me to read about what other people are doing.  People have offered to give me training material and told me about all sorts of competition I might have and suggested I visit their websites.  On occasion I do… but most of the time I say ‘thank you that’s a great suggestion.  I may do that.'  I don’t.  Why?  Because when I do, I see their success and something that’s already been done.  It’s not motivating it’s debilitating.  If I spend my precious time looking at what everyone else is doing then I’m not spending time doing what I want to be doing, and filling the gap that, regardless of all my competition, I continue to see.

People are not meant to live or work in silos.  Even the biggest loners in the world need some human or animal connection to thrive.  Scientists have proven that our DNA is ‘alive’ when we are happy and connected, and shrivels when we are depressed or anxious. 

Are our work lives any different REALLY than our personal lives?  The ‘chores’ we do at work ultimately affect the success of the company.  How we get along with the people we work with ultimately affects the moral of the company.  How we interact with our ‘guests’ or ‘clients’ affects how we are viewed by others.

Cooperation and connection are the fundamental inspiration for promotion or selling.  If a person feels connected to the company they work for they generally feel appreciated, taken care of and enjoy the people around them – including their clients.  They ‘invite’ their guests in, ensure their needs are taken care of and ensure they want to come back or tell their friends how great their experience was.

If people in a home or workplace are competing with one another; are not sharing; are being rude, or deprecating, or just looking out for themselves then the system falls apart.  It’s each person’s choice professionally or personally to choose to be kind and cooperative versus to compete.  If a company sets up it’s people to compete with eachother then they set themselves up to fail.  

My goal when I work with a company is to inspire, from the top down and the bottom up, each person, so that they make the effort to work cooperatively and supportively.   When people find that mental place, something happens, the virus spreads.  Happy cooperative people inspire others to be happy and cooperative.  People cheer each other’s successes as a team not as individuals.  People stop bad mouthing each other and if someone does, others do not encourage it.  It’s an amazing drug and it yields success.

You might ask what this has to do with sales and my reply is everything.  Picking up the phone to ask someone for their business is nerve racking.  I have done it more times than I can count, and every time I do it I have to breathe… my voice often shakes I still more often than not regret something I said, but I do it.   What makes it easier is feeling good.  Loving the people and the products I represent.  Feeling supported by my peers and managers.  Feeling connected and on a team.  Feeling accountable to EVERYONE because if I sell, people stay employed; if I don’t, they lose their jobs.  I lose my job.  If I’m selling by myself with no one cheering me on, helping me through the rough patches or supporting my efforts, I procrastinate.  I take on the rejection personally and resent having to pick up the phone.  If I have people around me I can talk to about my challenges, who can help and motivate me to pick up the phone again with a smile on my face, success comes.

If I can come into a company and inspire just a few people to see themselves and their work as important; if I can help them feel connected and cooperative, they can help spread the virus. If I can help companies create systems of accountability, clear lines/territories, and healthy supportive interactions then my work will be done.

My goal is to have every Inspire Sales client have a team of people who help and motivate one another;  who want to educate and help their clients in an environment that fuels positive energy and reinforcement.