How do you view the business of sales? There are three schools of thought.
One says sales is a game, a negotiation, a battle of wits, competitive, adversarial, calculating, and even cutthroat.
Another says sales is a partnership, a collaboration, a journey, respectful, and mutually beneficial.
A third isn’t really sure, content to bounce around between the other two depending on mood and circumstance.
The gamesmanship mentality is built on withholding information – hence the expression, “poker face”.
The collaborative mentality is built on sharing information – hence the expression, “two heads are better than one”.
Because gamesmanship withholds information, it fosters attitudes of suspicion and inevitably leaves one party to a transaction feeling like a loser. Because a collaborative mentality shares information, it fosters attitudes of trust and makes both parties to a transaction feel like winners.
Which mentality do you think is more conducive to building strong, long lasting business relationships?
Hi, Brad!
Collaboration, all the way! At least this is the ideal. Of course, to a great extent our ability to collaborate is dependent on the person we’re attempting to collaborate WITH! Overall, though, there’s little question that this is the better–and certainly more productive–method! (Of course, for those who are more interested in money than they are in developing a solid, long-term business relationship, this method may not seem very “productive”!)
Jeanne
Jeanne, somehow I knew you’d vote for collaboration! Chemistry does play a huge role, but not everybody buys into the concept of collaboration. Let’s change their minds.