Always Explain the Whys


People need to understand why they are doing something. This post is focused primarily on leading a team but can also double for increasing sales. Today's society has evolved. You can't just command people what to do and hope they will blindly follow... well maybe they will but it won't be sustainable. People like to know why they are doing something and what the cause is. I think we do this to justify that this hard work is for a good cause. I find this even more prevalent in millennials. Millennials love to question the status quo (trust me I am one). A lot of people misconstrue this as to being insubordinate or disrespectful. All they need to know are the whys behind an order and they will move mountains. Millennials have so much potential all you have to do is figure out how to unleash it and they will do amazing things for you. Don't see it as distrust or insubordination. View it as someone trying to grasp something so they can perform at higher levels.

Once you understand why something needs to be done, you are more likely to believe in it. That goes with any sort of change that you are trying to make. If I were to go to my team tomorrow and say we are completely changing our sales process without any reason there would be a mutiny. If I went to them and stated that we are going to adopt a proven sales process because is going to increase our sales 20%. They would turn that fear and questioning into excitement. It would benefit me more if I showed them proven results or testimonials. Showing someone the reasoning behind your decisions shows a little bit of humility. I think there is a certain level of respect that you get from people when you show them the whys.

You can incorporate the whys within your sales process. When you give your customers the whys behind something you are doing they will be more receptive towards you. It used to happen to me all the time where I would try and force things, upon clients, and it would be like throwing gas on a fire. Instead, I took a more subtle approach, for instance, by saying "I priced up your order today and put on our delivery plan and our protection plan. Now the reason I priced those up were so I can ensure that we are providing our full service to you." It would turn from a forceful situation to a smoother, informative situation. Another example with our protection plan went something like "it is my goal to ensure that all my clients leave with our protection plan. The reason being if you purchase it I can make sure that I take care of you for the next 4 years if anything were to happen to your purchase." My clients would then understand why I would push so hard on certain things. They would get less offended and allowed me to sell my products and services to them. Even clients need to understand the whys behind aspects of your sales process.

I believe that a certain level of reasoning comes with this explanation of the whys. Think about it... when you understand why your boss is so adamant about completing a task, you start to level more. It is almost like you switch from being defensive to understanding and nurturing. I believe that people want to help people. People naturally fear change. I think this understanding, of the whys, is our instincts trying to overcome fear, of change, quicker.

The challenge is how to handle those situations where someone does not understand the whys. You may be explaining something, in a way, they don't understand. Don't just say well do it because I told you. Instead, try to explain things from a different angle or perspective. Remember that performance increases when someone understands they whys more. The reason why will then become that persons reason why. You then form a team working towards a common goal. I lead a team, of salesmen, with this very concept and we were able to break company records, shatter sales records, and make a lot of money, in the process. If someone isn't doing something then they don't understand why they need to do it. If they never know why they will never adopt it. You have to get the whys through to people! Keep pushing the whys until you break through to even the most stubborn of people. It will be a battle and tough work but the results will be worth it!

Please comment below your thoughts of the whys! Do you prefer to be commanded or explained why you are being directed to do something. Why did you choose that answer? ;)

Such a simple yet powerful question... why?

-Cody

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