By Mark Sanborn

"Communication is both a science and an art."
- Mark Sanborn

Communication is the Tool, Not the Objective

A sales manager approached me after I finished speaking about leadership at his association's meeting. His mood seemed somewhere between perplexed and provoked.

"You talked about how leaders communicate persuasively," he complained. "Even with the word 'persuasive' in front of it, I have a problem with ‘communication.' I can't think of a more amorphous word than 'communication.' I told my team no more communication; their job is understanding! If the sale isn't made, there was no understanding."

He was right. Communicating isn't the objective of a good leader. Understanding is the objective. Communication is simply the most important tool for accomplishing that.

It reminds me of the night our family went out to dinner. As we waited for our table, my wife Darla was reading the specials board out loud. "Look, boys, ‘All You Can Eat Fish.'" At that point Jack—who was five at the time—responded with exasperation. "Oh no!" he said, "all you can eat is fish?! I want a hamburger!."

Over the years I've seen research studies that repeatedly report the problems caused by poor communication. In one, communication was cited as the cause of poor employee/follower performance 80% of the time (if you define communication broadly enough, you could say it is responsible for 100% of the problems we face).

Communicating is easy.

Communicating effectively—both understanding and being understood—is much more difficult. That is what leaders do.

Leaders Sell

People buy for three reasons. They trust who they're buying from, they have reasons that make sense for buying, and they feel good about their decision. That's why leaders know how to sell because everything is sold.

Believing that your ideas are so good they don't have to be sold is the height of arrogance. It is ridiculous to think that if what you have to offer—ideas, products or services—is good enough, people will naturally see the light and buy them.

Still, I've had clients tell me that they feel selling is beneath them. Why does the word "selling" so often carry negative connotations?

Because people confuse selling with manipulation. The salesperson, they believe, is out to meet his or her goal at their expense and that salespeople want as much of their money as they can get in exchange for as little of their product as they can provide. (Certainly not all salespeople are scrupulous or ethical, but no profession is without a few bad apples. Just don't judge the entire orchard by a few rotten fruits.)

To commit to the principle of selling like a leader, you need a good definition of selling.

Selling is helping people make a decision that is good for them.

If you have a good idea, product or service that can benefit the buyer, it is your responsibility to sell it. Telling about it isn't enough.

What happens if you have a superior idea or product poorly presented? The potential buyer will go somewhere else to find the idea or product they need—and it may not be as good as yours!

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