"Luv" in Sales

I’ve been studying successful people and businesses since I was about 14 years old and seriously studying them since I was 21. The deeper I dig, it occurs to me that at the real core of sustained success is loving people. There are countless examples of this, but none better organizationally than Southwest Airlines.

Kevin and Jackie Freiberg, in their book “Nuts! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success” do a great job communicating this truth about love and business. They operate a consulting company now out of San Diego, but they both worked for Southwest 10 years and give a great inside view. In chapter 10, named “LUV” after the Southwest New York Stock Exchange sticker symbol, they walk through what love means in their unique culture. This week I plan to give you a brief taste of this chapter each day and then finish the post with an application as it fits in with sales.

Southwest founder, Herb Kelleher once said, “We are interested in people who externalize, who focus on other people, who are really motivated to help other people.” This is really the essence of the Servant Selling Philosophy. It’s all about helping people. If you really get that in your bones, you are already 90% of the way to being successful. It goes without saying that is completely antithetical to the reputation of salespeople in general. If there is a profession known for raw unadulterated selfishness, it is the sales profession.

Yet the super successful salespeople I know in multiple industries, rise to the top because they set themselves apart from this stereotype. And when I scratch underneath the surface what I usually find is a love for people.

This is also a great opportunity. You can easily become, “a breath of fresh air”, as I was once called while calling on a potential client. Like Southwest, you can easily become the vendor of choice just because you treat people with care and respect...in other words, you love them. And like the employees at Southwest, you’ll have all kinds of fun and lead the most consistently profitable venture around.