Feedback: important for growth, yet sometimes hard to digest. Here at GUIDE Culture HQ, we’ve worked hard to develop a culture of feedback, where everyone feels comfortable not only giving, but receiving feedback as well. After every meeting, presentation, project or collaboration we ask “How would you rate that on a scale of 1-10” and “what could have made it a 10 out of 10?”
Sometimes the answers are easy to receive, and sometimes they’re hard. Whatever the response is, feedback is so necessary to grow.
Over the years, Kat has received several pieces of feedback that have stuck out more than others. Today, she shares five of them in hopes that you can borrow them in your growth journey.
- “I don’t know if I trust you when you say it like that”. This feedback came from Loy Day, who happened to be Kat’s coach when she first took GUIDE Culture. In that moment, she was speaking from HER knowledge, not as a skilled communicator who had his best interest at heart. Kat was passionate and full of product knowledge – but none of that mattered in the marketplace when she was selling. What matters is that you understand your client, you understand their needs, and you help them determine what’s best for them. That empty enthusiasm that Kat held is what made her come off as salesy and untrustworthy.
- “Don’t look like that”. As harsh as this feedback may sound, it came from a trusted friend as Kat gave a presentation in college. Looking into the audience, she saw her friend looking back with a furrowed brow. Turns out, she was subconsciously mirroring the look that Kat had as she gave her presentation. People reflect your tone and they reflect your body language. When you stay relaxed, those you’re in conversation with remain relaxed but when you’re tight and tense about making sure they receive your message, your customer feeds off that same energy.
- “I love you, but you need to stop talking about yourself”. Whew – hard to hear but coming from a loving place. As a GUIDE Culture student, Kat was selling Macy on her company’s sunless tanner. But instead of thinking “whats in it for Macy?”, Kat was highlighting all of the reasons that SHE loved it. Intentions were pure, but your intentions don’t matter to those you’re selling to. You have to curate your information for them specifically based on what they’ve told you matters to them.
- “Your presentation is boring.” As a dietetic intern, Kat received this feedback from her boss at the time who essentially said “tell me about the science, but make it interesting.” What’s important about this feedback is understanding that your presentation from start to finish should have a constant thread – a constant message that can be tied through. Always be challenging yourself to just assume what you’re saying could be better. How can you make it come more alive and how can the story that you’re telling someone make them the hero?
- “You don’t have good follow through.” This one came from another preceptor in another internship. She said “Kat, you have good ideas but you don’t do anything with them. There’s no follow through.” It’s not up to someone else to validate or execute your ideas. No one is going to be on your back saying “did you follow through.” But think about if YOU were the one to hold yourself accountable to follow through on your ideas. You may feel awkward, but you may grow your business. You get new prospects, you get new sales. You build confidence in a relationship with yourself!
At Guide Culture, we’re on a mission to not just empower people to make more sales, but equip them to do it better and faster than ever before. Our version of winning looks like watching you lead your prospects to the right solution for them, lead your team to a common goal, or lead your family to grow into the humans you know they can be. We believe sales is bigger than that slimy feeling you say you get when you pitch a new prospect. It’s about loving and serving your people well. And learning how to do it is not something you can afford to push to the side anymore.
To hear this episode of School of Sales and others, click HERE.
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