In conversation with Fabien Koch / Elena Kochler, Modern Selling Team leads, T-Systems International
The role of authenticity in sales, marketing and leadership
Fabien Koch and Elena Kochler lead Modern Selling team at T-Systems. Together, they create innovative ways to help sales and communications achieve better results. A large part of their work involves team leadership, and over the last two years, they have cemented their expertise in engaging, uniting and motivating their teams.
When we sat down to talk with Fabien and Elena, we shared an in-depth conversation about authenticity and its role in business strategies. Authenticity – where people truly live according to their own values – moves away from the traditional workplace goal of uniformity. It promotes individual thinking and honesty, from everyone. Given that 63% of Generation Z employees believe that it’s crucial to work with people who have diverse education levels and skills, it’s clear that championing freedom of thought is only going to become more important to attract, retain and motivate talent.
What do you think is the key ingredient to your sales and communication success?
In our roles, sales, marketing and leadership all work in tandem. A significant part of our roles is looking for innovative ways to help our several sales teams succeed, such as finding ultra-fast digital tools for communications. However, one common attribute that we always find supports an effective strategy is authenticity. It is not the only ingredient to our success, but it is an important element that we keep at the forefront of our approach.
Over the last two years, our focus on authenticity has only strengthened. Remote working and increased use of video calls have lifted the curtain on people’s lives and sparked conversations with everyone, from colleagues to clients, about life outside of work. It has changed the meaning of success. Our society tells us that we need to compete to do well, but now, we are celebrating our differences and the value people can bring by being themselves. As leaders, it is our role to show people the difference they make and enable them to bring their whole and truest selves to the workplace.
Why do you believe that authenticity is crucial to sales?
T-Systems is a tech business, so our sales are data-driven. But that doesn’t mean they are robotic. A Forbes article we recently read quoted “there is a prevailing yet often unspoken notion in the market that salespeople are ruthless sharks, motivated only by the prospect of commissions ” – and this is something we are very clear in moving away from. By enabling people to show their human authenticity, we believe that we can build stronger relationships with clients.
Authenticity is linked to trust and credibility. In fact, there’s research that shows that catering too much to others’ expectations and ignoring your own values can actually damage trust . In short, people see through it when you are trying too hard to be like them. At T-Systems, it’s incredibly important to us that we show our expertise in an authentic and credible way. We may be digital natives, but a lot of our clients aren’t, which means there is some trepidation when it comes to tech.
Buyers need to believe that they will receive the service that has been sold to them, and this is only possible if sellers have been transparent. It is also easier for sellers to take a more genuine approach, as opposed to matching each client in their sales pitch.
For sales teams, it is important to strike the balance between staying true to themselves and maintaining a professional persona. There are a few ways that we nurture this balance. Firstly, we have an internal methodology called T-Systems Performance Selling where we collect tools and tips for the best customer strategy. It covers the entire sales process, from planning for success all the way through to negotiation and deal closing, and it enables our team to find the approach that works best for them. Secondly, we encourage our sales teams to use the platform they feel most comfortable with, which we believe puts them in the best position to have open conversations with potential clients. And finally, we allow our teams to get to know the strengths and weaknesses of T-Systems. It means that we are not afraid to show how a solution may be unsuitable for a client, as this often helps us discuss ways that we can adapt our approach.
And how about communication – what role does authenticity play?
Authenticity when communicating is a powerful way to stand out from your competitors. Even if the digital services and solutions are fairly similar to our competitors, the way we approach challenges and opportunities is different. For example, we push for co-innovation with partners like Google, so our clients benefit from even more expertise.
According to the FleishmanHillard’s 2021 report, The Power of Authenticity, 64% of consumers say that businesses should talk about the way they impact society (not just benefit customers) to be more credible. We see communications as an important way to talk about our values, and we put great emphasis into ensuring that what we say is a true representation of how we do business By being authentic enables us to touch on the ‘untouchable’ topics; those difficult subjects that clients are afraid of, or that pose a significant threat to their businesses and society, such as data security when using the cloud. It is by exploring these topics that our communications can add the most value to our clients.
In exploring difficult topics, we show our clients that we understand their concerns and have solutions that help tackle them. We also demonstrate our purpose in a clear and tangible way.
How do you use authenticity in leadership to motivate colleagues?
We believe that teams in which a culture of authenticity is fostered are more likely to be productive. Honesty and openness invite people to share the issues they face, which means that teams can work together to overcome them. Authenticity is also crucial to retaining talent. When people feel that their leadership approach is authentic – that they can bring their true selves to work and that any concerns are heard and addressed – they will feel the most supported.
Authenticity is a key component of our leadership style and something that we champion. We encourage people to share more about their personal lives, as it means that we can pick up on any worries that we could help alleviate. We also give people the freedom to develop their careers with T-Systems in the way that aligns with their personal goals. It is not our responsibility to push our people to do training – our colleagues have to decide what’s right them. Our motto, ‘stay curious and grow’, is all about enabling people to take part in training – on their terms
And how do you create an authentic culture?
For us, choice is the common theme in all conversations around authenticity. It is about giving sales teams the power to choose the platforms that work for them. It is about giving communications teams choice over which topics they believe are most relevant for our clients right now. And it is about enabling people to choose how they work and develop with us.
Our role as leaders is to create an environment in which people feel that they will be listened to, whether they are sharing their ideas or their personal experiences. Brené Brown, who lectures on leadership, explains why we should encourage our colleagues to show their vulnerability. She says, “The definition of vulnerability is uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. But vulnerability is not weakness; it's our most accurate measure of courage”, which really aligns with our view. We welcome vulnerability in the workplace, because it means that we can learn about our colleague’s biggest worries and help them address these in the most effective way.
As businesses look to incorporate more digital tools into their ways of working, we think it’s crucial that they consider people’s individual preferences. In a world where everything – and everyone – is online, many people feel pressured to be online all the time. This is not good for people’s work-life balance and, as leaders, we see how quickly motivation slips when time is in short supply. That is why we want to encourage other leaders to implement tools to reduce workloads, not to increase them – we believe this approach is the best way to get the most out of your people.
Recommended Resources
Customer Stories
Learn how LinkedIn Sales Solutions helped global brands achieve their goals.