Sales, the way it should be

I came across this Harvard Business Review's (HBR) and i LOVED IT. am always "disgusted" by how Sales people approach me and how they ALL just care about getting as much as possible out of my wallet; and they get none usually, but this! This is different, and below are the most important points i believe from the article (i think i copied half of it ^_^)..

Summary: 

It’s common wisdom that you’re more likely to make a sale if you build rapport with a customer. Instead of focusing on the transaction., emphasize the connection by doing these three things:

• Be generous. Go into each meeting with a list of five ways to make the prospect successful. Don’t worry about what you’ll get in return. Instead think of it as good sales karma for which you may be rewarded.

• Become a trusted adviser. Stay focused on your customer's success, not your quota. Give the best advice you can give, only recommending your product when it's a great fit for their situation.

• Believe in the ask. If it’s generous, with a low barrier to entry and huge opportunities for return, then you’re much more likely to forge a trusting relationship.

Important Notes from That Article

• a sales call is a success if it advances your customers' cause and builds the relationship, not just if it closes a transaction
• go into each meeting with a list of five ways to make the person you're meeting successful. That's what's going to arrest people's attention and make them willing to develop a closer relationship with you
• Research the person! You're looking for personal reasons to care. Find a way to introduce something that leverages your shared interests.
• Talking about them will make you human,not just a sales person pushing a service or a widget
• Mind you, they're not all personal. At least one should be purely professional, even if not related in any way to what you're trying to sell. For example, find out what the analysts say the company's goals or "big bets" are and what they have to achieve. [awesome! point]
• Essentially, the key is to stay focused on your customer's success. 
• ..retaining the trust you've developed by recommending your product only when it's a great fit for their situation.
• During a lull in the conversation, just ask: "You know what I do. How can I be of service to you?"
• If they reply "Tell me a little bit more," they've opened up the whole dialog about your products
• Leaving it open ended gives the client the opportunity to shape the discussion so that they'll never feel pushed. 

And Finally .. 

Moving from relationship building to selling boils down to asking two questions:

1. Have I been truly generous to this individual, and earned enough trust that they're ready to listen to my "ask"?
2.  Do I 100% believe in the value of the solution I'm offering? If the answer to those two questions is yes, you'll often find a transaction further deepens your relationship with your customer.

This definitely going into my company's sales strategy!