You might think you are in sales, and your job is to get people to buy things from you (and hopefully you don’t think your job is to sell people).

Your role is so much more than that.

You are so much more valuable to your prospective customers than that.

You owe them so much more than that.

The Hero of the Story

It starts with the understanding that they – your prospect/customer/client – is the Hero of the story.

Fundamentally they are the Hero of the story in their own mind. We all are. We all think the universe revolves around us. We all think we are the most important person on the planet. It’s part of being human.

And it’s completely okay to have this automatic thought about yourself.

The key is understanding that your prospects each think that way. They are the Hero.

You Are the Guide, Not the Hero

You are not.

Sorry…AND…it’s actually a good thing.

Your role is not to be the Hero, but to be the Guide.

As I have written about before, and helped salespeople understand in the training I do, that it is actually easier to not try and be the Hero.

Your role instead is to be the Guide. The one that knows how to get Heroes to where they want/need to be.

Your job is to help Heroes succeed in their mission – whatever that is – where your product/service is a part of helping them avoid pain or achieve gain.

Success Is the Real Goal

And, here is the main key takeaway – your job isn’t complete until the Hero succeeds.

Not when the Hero decides to buy.

Not when they sign on the dotted line.

Not when they make a payment or pay the down payment.

But when they get what they need, want and are paying for.

Beyond the Sale

For many salespeople, that means their responsibility and duty to the customer is not done until the implementation is complete or the delivery is made, or the customer starts using the product successfully.

Not just when they walk out of the store with it, or get handed off to the customer success team, or when they download the software.

Not just when they sign up for a course, class or degree program – but when they finish.

You might think your job is done – but it is not.

A Flawed Process Leads to Failure

And if your company has built the process to reward you only for the ‘sale’ then they are setting up the customer for failure.

In the movies, where there is a Hero who must accomplish the mission, there is always a Guide. That Guide can’t do everything for them, but they are with them until the end (usually…although sometimes the Guide dies before the end…but let’s not focus on that part). The Guide knows that the Hero must accomplish their mission. And they are devoted to ensuring that happens, even if it means sacrificing themselves.

The True Role of a Salesperson

Your role is the same. You might think you are just a salesperson but you are so much more than that.

When you understand and embrace this, and have the mindset and actions that go with it – sales will be much different – for you and them.

On your end, it will take the pressure off needing to be the ‘Hero’ – cause it’s not about you, it’s about them.

For them, you will actually deliver what they are seeking – help with their mission.