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Giraffe Selling and How to Make New Sales Behaviors Stick

Whether you’re just checking out our library of blog posts for the first time, or you have been here a time or two and enjoy what you’ve seen and read, you’ve likely noticed that we love bringing in knowledgeable, forward-thinking professionals from the sales and training world to have thought-provoking conversations. The idea is that everyone’s got something big to share, whether it be best practices, innovative ideas, etc.

In our recent Disruptors & Innovators podcast, we interviewed Chris Jarvis, founder of Giraffe University and sales expert. Chris truly is an “idea guy” and “thought leader” in every sense of those terms. We invite you to listen to the podcast for a more in-depth breakdown of everything he had to say, but below are just a few of the bigger elements he shared:

Giraffe Selling — Seeing a Better Path That Others Can’t

According to Chris, Giraffe Selling is all about elevating your perspective when it comes to sales. As you know, a giraffe in the wild isn’t exactly the most ferocious member of the animal kingdom. It’s actually rather vulnerable to predators, especially with those long legs and extended neck that can reach 18 feet.

It’s difficult to hide as a giraffe. But in return for that vulnerability, giraffes can see and reach things that others cannot.

The giraffe is a pretty powerful metaphor when you equate it to the sales world. Most people are content with doing the same things everyone else around them is doing. And while they can be successful doing it that way, they’re always going to get exactly what everyone else gets out of it. Rather than keeping your head down in a crowd and simply doing what everyone else is doing, it’s actually better to flip your perspective and start being the giraffe in the room.

See a better path. There is always risk involved with doing something different, but the sky is the limit in terms of results.

This was a fascinating conversation on many levels. Please listen to the podcast below, where Chris also discusses:

  1. Connecting with clients on a personal level to find out what matters most.
  2. Looking beyond sales numbers, especially if you’re out of touch with what matters to you.
  3. How there’s no benefit (EVER) to looking backward. Keep moving forward.
  4. Never be afraid to open up about what scares you the most.
  5. As a sales manager, you have to find out what makes each of your team members tick.
  6. How to ask the right questions to get to know your people at a deeper, more personal level.

Opening up to new behaviors can be a scary concept for many people in the sales world. Having Chris on the show allowed us to reach sales leaders whose teams may be stuck in a rut or constantly looking in their rearview mirror and then provide practical advice that cuts through the mumbo jumbo and delivers game-changing results.


Author: Dario Priolo

Dario brings over 20 years of experience in the sales enablement and talent development industry. He has led marketing and strategy as CMO for leading companies like the Hay Group, Miller Heiman and Profiles International and has been part of 4 successful exits, including his own start-up.

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