“Servant-heart” sellers follow 10 sales principles. 

Salespeople often face the challenge of losing customers over time, but those with a genuine dedication to serving their clients tend to retain them better. These "servant-heart" sellers prioritize providing value and meeting their clients' needs over just making sales or earning big commissions.

Meet Dave Wall, a sales representative at Liberty Coach in Stuart, Florida. Liberty Coaches are top-of-the-line motorhomes that cater to the ultra-rich, with price tags of around $2 million each. Despite the hefty price, Wall, driven by his servant-heart approach, manages to sell multiple coaches every year. What's remarkable is that 60% of his customers keep coming back for more, sometimes purchasing up to nine coaches from him. Even more impressive, 30% of his new customers are referred to him by his satisfied past clients.

The Power of Servant-Heart Salespeople

Customers love and trust Wall because he genuinely cares for them. Some of his past customers have even joined his team, becoming successful salespeople themselves. Other salespeople, like Pierre Bouvard, Jeff Wagner, and Bill Gangloff, also believe in this approach. They prioritize their customers' needs over making a quick sale and building long-lasting relationships instead.

Servant-heart sellers operate across various industries but share the same ten proven sales principles. These principles focus on ensuring the customer's success rather than just closing a deal. It's about fostering trust and loyalty through genuine care and attention. 10 proven sales principles that work in every area of commerce:

1. Customer-first ethos:

Some sellers really get into their customers' shoes, feeling like they're working for them without getting paid. They're super loyal and always aim for top-notch results, which not only benefits their clients but also themselves.

Salespeople who prioritize their customers' needs ultimately benefit both parties. When customers feel valued and understood, they reap the rewards. In turn, satisfied customers become advocates, recommending the salesperson to others. This approach contrasts sharply with short-sighted sales tactics focused solely on immediate gains. Instead, sales professionals with a servant-hearted approach transform the transactional relationship into a mutually beneficial partnership.

2. Focus on long-term growth, not short-term sales.

Successful salespeople often receive company awards for their achievements, but these accolades merely showcase the outcomes of their hard work. The real aim of dedicated sales professionals is simpler: to enhance their customers' outcomes. Servant-hearted sellers prioritize relationships over transactions. Take Rhonda Kuhlman, for example—a senior account executive at Hearst, who manages advertising sales in Orlando, Florida.

During April and May of 2020, when the pandemic hit hard, businesses shut down left and right. Big shots like DisneyWorld, Universal, and SeaWorld in Orlando were no exception. Advertising contracts became a low priority amidst the chaos. Kuhlman, faced with a wave of cancellations from her major clients, responded differently. Instead of pushing back, she accepted every cancellation and paused with understanding. She assured her clients that she had their backs.

Contrary to Kuhlman's approach, many other salespeople stuck to their rigid cancellation policies, even as COVID-19 wreaked havoc. They cared more about their immediate profits than the struggles of their clients. This stance not only soured relationships but also wasted companies' money on ineffective promotions.

When things started to settle down and the market picked up again, who these big companies turned to? Kuhlman, the salesperson who had shown genuine concern for her client's well-being during the tough times.

3.  Ask many questions

Many salespeople don't spend enough time to â€œdiagnose”  what their customers need. They don't ask enough questions or listen carefully to the answers. This means they miss out on understanding the big picture of what their customers want.

This is different from how some salespeople work. Instead of just pushing their agenda, servant-hearted sellers take the time to understand exactly what their potential customers want and need. They do this by asking lots of smart questions. By doing this, they can suggest solutions that fit what the customer is looking for.

To figure out what a business needs, you have to ask the right questions and listen to the answers. This is key for servant-hearted sellers. They can't make good recommendations without understanding the customer's situation first.

4. “Teach, don’t sell.” 

Traditional salespeople often push the "why selling” of a purchase, emphasizing reasons why prospects should buy. But "how selling” is proving to be much more effective. It shifts the focus to how your products or services can help the prospect. "How presentations” stand out from the crowd because they're more about teaching than just selling. They're about serving the customer's needs first and foremost.

5. Avoid pressuring prospects; closing by force fails.

Nobody likes salespeople who use high-pressure tactics. People hate feeling forced, pressured or tricked into making a purchase. So why do many sales trainers still teach manipulative selling and closing methods? These tactics often don’t even work. Pushing too hard can backfire and make potential customers walk away.

It’s important for salespeople to “always ask for the order,” but asking isn’t the same as pressuring someone to buy. Trying to manipulate prospects usually leads to fewer closed deals—remember, “When you close hard, you’ll lose less.”

Instead of using pressure, good salespeople aim to get clear commitments by offering practical solutions that meet the client’s needs. Not every product or service is right for every prospect, and that’s okay. For instance, Dean Thibault from Landmark National Bank says his team knows not every customer will be a perfect fit. But they focus on fully supporting the ones who are.

6. Fulfill the “responsibility of trust.”

All B2B salespeople aim to be liked by their customers, which is important because people tend to buy from those they like. But being liked shouldn't be your only goal. It's more crucial to earn your customers' trust. Trust is the key foundation for developing all other necessary qualities and skills as a B2B salesperson.

Building trust doesn't have to take forever. You can establish trusting relationships by being well-prepared, humble, and genuinely interested in helping.

7. Occasionally, customers are wrong.

Some salespeople are all about serving their customers well. They're not just in it for the quick sale. These folks might tell you, "Sure, you could try that, but..." Then they'll explain why your idea might not be the best move.

On the flip side, old-school salespeople hardly ever say no. They're trained to always say yes, fearing that any negativity could ruin the deal.

These service-minded sellers care about the long run. They're not just looking to make a sale and be done with it. They're thinking about how their products or services will benefit you over time.

8. Go beyond the minimum.

Oscar Mejia is a top-notch salesperson at Univision in Dallas. Despite his success, he stays down-to-earth. He wants his clients to feel like he's working for them, not the other way around.

So, when one of Mejia’s clients has an event, you might spot him picking up trash in their parking lot or rounding up shopping carts. These aren’t typical tasks for a salesperson, but Mejia goes the extra mile for his customers. That's why they adore him and why he hardly ever loses a customer.

9. Avoid being generic to sustain pricing.

Traditional salespeople often focus solely on price, treating every customer the same and pushing only their products or services. But servant-heart sellers are different. They go beyond just selling – they offer personal attention and care to their customers. This extra effort adds value to whatever they're selling.

Customers recognize that servant-hearted sellers are dedicated to ensuring their clients achieve the best possible outcomes. They understand that these sellers will ask enough questions to ensure their solutions are the most suitable for their customers, and they won't hesitate to challenge client ideas that aren't realistic, sensible, or profitable. This kind of lasting, intangible value can't be turned into just another product. As Warren Buffett once said, "Price is what you pay. Value is what you get."

10. Never stop learning.

Warren Buffett believes that the more you learn, the more valuable it becomes, just like money in a high-interest savings account. Buffett’s daily goal is to become “a little bit smarter” than he was the day before. Increasing your knowledge makes you better at what you do. It helps you understand things better and become more skilled. When you put all these improvements together, learning more makes you a better, more successful salesperson who cares about their customers.