Classics from Shari Levitin
Shari is a tireless teacher and a compelling resource for inspiration. With her permission, we’ve reprinted several selections from her blog found on https://www.sharilevitin.com. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy!
Why I’m Interested in Selling
I grew up with a father, mother, and brother who seized every chance to read and teach themselves something new, playing “quiz time” every Sunday night. On our few family vacations, while other kids played tennis or hunted for seashells on the beach, we engaged in Seminar Hour, where each of us took turns teaching the rest of the family a point of interest or an area of endeavor that would enlighten the others. I chose “5 Methods to Create a Pop-Up Book Using Felt Tip Pens,” and my brother shared something new coming our way called the Internet.
All this to say, education is in my DNA, but unfortunately, I struggled in school. I loved learning but had trouble focusing on subjects like chemistry, geology, and, heaven forbid, physics.
So, I decided to take the proverbial year off after four years at the University of Colorado, and that’s when it all started. I didn’t know sales was a job. Growing up in a Jewish family carried an unwritten rule: I was to become a doctor, a lawyer, or marry one. I did none of those until I married a doctor much later… Finally, a Jewish doctor!
I had no idea in the 80s that I would make great money in sales and eventually teach tens of thousands of people to do the same. In my heart, I’m convinced that sales is a profession without age; it’s the finest job for both the youthful dreamer and the seasoned soul.
I used to think that a salesperson, or any sort of person who became a seller, was an outcast or a career criminal.
In sales, the whole world opened. For the first time, I felt hope that I might find my place in a community.
With my eclectic new friends, I became whole. Some of them wanted to get rich and famous. I simply wanted to fit in and buy nice clothes. Fascinated with people, I devoured sales books and cassettes, much like my friend Kelly Hanson did with vitamins and supplements.
I soon discovered that sales was a teacher of discipline. I learned how to read people, exhibit patience, listen to other points of view, and think strategically. I learned that people are complex, that everyone has a story, and if you become curious, they reveal their secrets, hopes, and fears, making you feel less alone. When things felt too big to handle, I learned to break them down.
I learned how to take rejection—lots of it. I’m still learning how to manage emotional pain. What’s true about pain is similar to what’s true about fear: it does its worst work when it’s hidden. I recently performed a training for the US Military, one of the highlights of my career. A young soldier revealed to me that the emotional pain of rejection when recruiting scared him much more than fighting on the front lines in Afghanistan.
The better we do at facing what scares us most—making the tough calls, asking for help, and taking an objective look at what’s stopping us—the more we begin to gain control.
Know this: Anyone who does anything admirable, noble, or meaningful will have critics. Some people try to live a life without criticism by shrinking themselves. They hide, both emotionally and physically. They don’t try. By definition, salespeople must muster the courage to put themselves out there: we need to work on ourselves, not just our pitch; We need to work on our empathy, not just our discovery questions. We need to become vulnerable and connect to each other, not just to our devices.
There is ecstasy in paying attention to other people’s worlds.
But you have to believe in your product, or nothing will drive you to do the work. If you don’t believe in what you are selling, you might as well call it a day and play pickleball.
However, if you care deeply about people, not just about learning or obtaining information, and you want to learn about yourself and the human condition, sales will give your life meaning.
Several years ago, at age 75, my father told his rabbi that he would quit his teaching job at USC.
“Why?” the rabbi asked.
“So, I can focus on my spirituality. To become a more pious man.”
The rabbi replied, “We don’t become more spiritual in a vacuum.”
Piety and nobility are something you practice every single day with everyone you meet. It’s about giving people value, being present, listening to their challenges, and often, not even having to solve them.
To me, sales is a spiritual endeavor. What I know now, after living six decades and working in sales for four of them, is that to sell more, you need to in fact “be” more.
The Power of Resilience: How My Mother’s Story Inspires Millions
At the tender age of 3, my mother, along with her mother and two sisters, fled Nazi Germany for the United States of America. Settling in a humble immigrant community in Los Angeles, they faced the daunting challenge of starting anew, with little command of the English language and only the kindness of neighbors to rely on. It was then that my mother stumbled upon a revelation.
The public library.
To her, it was more than just a building—it was a sanctuary brimming with stories, ideas, and knowledge. Week after week, she would borrow ten books, return them, and leave with ten more. Seventy-five years later, not only has she mastered the language and earned a partial scholarship to UC Berkeley, but she has also become a published author and a sought-after speaker, educating audiences nationwide about the horrors of genocide.
At age 18, she proposed to my father, armed with a spreadsheet demonstrating how two could live more economically than one. His acceptance marked the beginning of a journey filled with valuable life lessons, ones that he passed down to me as well.
Just recently, they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.
My mother’s dream was always to be a writer. In the 1970s, society frowned upon the idea of a woman balancing work and motherhood. But someone who wants to write will find a way to write.
And someone who wants to change the world can do it without a big platform or high-profile byline.
Despite societal expectations, she forged ahead, rejecting PTA meetings and idle gossip, instead using her voice to address political and social injustices.
Well intended people often ask my mom, “Sunny (short for Sonia), from where do you get your inspiration?” (I love to watch her answer this question.) She pauses, takes a breath, and replies, “I don’t get a message on a mountain top; a voice doesn’t inspire me from above while I’m in the shower. I get up every morning, make the bed, pour a cup of coffee, and I sit down at my desk and do the work!”
It was my mother who taught me discipline and the term relentless tenacity. It takes relentless tenacity in any endeavor to make it to the top.
She also taught me the power of compassion, a lesson she learned from her own Mother.
I realize how lucky I am to have my Mother, my best friend, at this stage of life. Whether you’ve lost your mother, are a mother to children, a dog, a cat or a mentee, thank you, Mom’s. Your work, your love, and your lessons continue to make the world a better place.
I love this video-it circulated online a few years ago. You may have seen it, even so it’s worth a watch: https://youtu.be/AmUPby_Eyhw?si=HG4dZniPfp2q5hr1
How Do We Rehumanize the Sales Process?
Artificial intelligence (AI) and technological advances are forcing sellers to re-evaluate their role in the sales process and how they can add value to the buyer. Technology helps gather data and information and craft meaningful messages, but at the end of the day, the salesperson must finalize the sale using their human attributes. Here’s what it means to rehumanize the sales process and grow sales through effectively connecting, sharing, and listening to customers.
Several years ago, I received a call asking if I’d like to appear as one of 15 sales experts in the Salesforce film documentary “The Story of Sales.” At first, I figured it was a joke. Too good to be true. Me…a sales expert in an actual film for the number one software company in the world?
Surely, they meant to call someone else like Brent Adamson, author of “The Challenger Sale,” or my mentor Jill Konrath (I later found out they had contacted her, and she was in the film, too).
What friend was messing with me in the middle of May? It wasn’t even April Fool’s Day.
How to rehumanize the sales process (Turns out…it wasn’t a joke).
An entire film crew made the trek from San Francisco to my home in Park City and began filming.
Several months later, for the film’s release, I was asked to speak at the mega sales conference of the year, Dreamforce, alongside the inventor of Einstein, the first generative AI built for CRM.
I was petrified but knew I had to accept the opportunity.
How could I speak about generative AI when I knew little if nothing about it? And with the head engineer of the product no less. Surely I would bring the IQ in the room down by 15% when I walked on that stage.
And then, it hit me. My knowledge of AI is limited, but I understand that despite the excitement over new technologies potentially replacing human labor, AI cannot perform basic functions that only humans can.
Eight years later, “How to Re-Humanize the Sales Process” is our most sought-after keynote. We have delivered it with rave reviews for companies like Microsoft, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield and more.
We are at a turning point in sales and human history. The advent of artificial intelligence marks a profound juncture akin to the Industrial Revolution but with a digital heartbeat.
It underscores an irony of our times: as our machines become more like us, we must become more human. As author David Brooks says, “AI will force us humans to double down on those talents and skills that only humans possess.”
The most important thing about AI may be that it shows us what it can’t do – thus revealing who we are and what we have to offer.
What makes us uniquely human is our heart, our ability to connect, listen, learn, and love. To succeed in the future, sellers must do everything ChatGPT, Einstein and Alexa cannot.
Check out my latest interview on “How to Re-Humanize the Sales Process” with Danny Wasserman on the Reveal podcast: “How to Re-Humanize the Sales Process” with Danny Wasserman on the Reveal podcast: https://get.sharilevitin.com/sales-keynote-speaker/bridging-the-ai-gap
About Shari Levitin
Shari Levitin is an energetic, wickedly funny sales guru and AI expert, who helps sales teams bridge the gap between beating quota and selling with an authentic heartfelt approach while staying up to date with AI tools.
As the founder of the Shari Levitin Group, Shari has helped create over 1 billion dollars in increased revenue for companies in over 40 countries.
Shari is the bestselling author of “Heart and Sell – 10 Universal Truths Every Salesperson Needs to Know”, (the official textbook for Harvard’s Strategic Selling course), a contributor to Forbes, CEO Magazine, Quotable, Inc. Magazine, and the Huffington Post. Her social media videos have attained over 118 million views in the last couple years.
Recent Accolades
- Top Ten Voices in Sales | LINKEDIN
- Top 50 Keynote Speakers | Top Sales World
- Top 20 Global Sales Experts | Salesforce
- 1of 15 sales experts who started in the Sales Force film The Story of Sales
- 35 Most Influential Women | Sales Hacker
- Starred in the reality TV show America’s Real Deal
PLUS…There’s More!!!
From Shari: “HAVE YOU READ MY BOOK YET?
“Heart and Sell” is a roadmap to rehumanizing the sales process.
“Heart and Sell: 10 Universal Truths Every Salesperson Needs to Know” is exactly what it says on the tin—a dynamic framework for success grounded in understanding the human needs and experiences of your customers.
From Sharon Scott Wilson, RRP: This is a must-read for anyone who ever hopes to communicate with another human being! It’s a quick read and I guarantee you’ll be inspired.
