It’s pretty ironic. As a kid, I avoided interacting with strangers and felt uncomfortable in front of people who I didn’t know well. By the time I entered the workforce, I was pretty sure that anything in sales was NOT for me. And I did my best to avoid it.
This was reinforced in my head, by the fact that I saw my father as the consummate, gregarious salesman. And I didn’t feel like I was anything like him. I admired how he could have a room full of people hanging on his words or laughing at his jokes, but that wasn’t me. It just wasn’t where I was comfortable or naturally gifted.
And of course, the thought of being a salesperson also reminded me instantly of those pushy, always going-for-the-close types who give sales a bad name. You know who I’m talking about, those classic used-car salesmen. Ick!
So it’s ironic that my most acclaimed career success has been in sales and training people how to be effective at it. At some point, I had to come to the realization that it was ok if I redefined how I sold and what it meant to me. I learned I had to debunk some of the sales myths that were holding me back, so I could be really good at selling.
Along the way, I also realized that being good at sales was about being good in life. The skill sets needed to be a top-notch salesperson actually are the same ones needed to be an effective boss, parent, spouse , community leader, etc.
Here are three sales myths that held me back in my career and my life until I realized that they were not true.
Myth 1: To be a good in sales, you have to be aggressive or pushy – We’ve all been exposed to the aggressive salesperson who is always looking for a way to move you along the sales process. Everyone is a prospect and you feel like the prey. If someone exerts sales pressure, whether it’s overt or subtle, it damages relationships. And good salespeople know it’s all about building strong, solid and mutually beneficial relationships.
How This Impacts Your Life – Whether you’re selling a product or an idea to your peers, no one likes to be sold. People like to buy and they like to feel like someone has their best interests in mind. To win in life, your goal is to get out of a “me-mentality” and focus on a “we-mentality.” Look at how you can make things a win-win proposition. Zig Ziglar said it well, “You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
Myth 2: To be a good in sales, you have to be a good talker – While there are plenty of smooth talking and polished salespeople out there in the world, you don’t need a silver tongue to be great in sales. In fact, I discovered I didn’t have to be a gifted talker like my dad to be good at sales.
I actually teach my clients that when they are meeting a prospect for the first time, they should keep the acronym W.A.I.T. front and center. It stands for “Why Am I Talking.” There are only two times you should be talking when you’re meeting with a prospect, to ask a question and to answer a question. In other words, you need to be a great listener to be really good in sales. If you’re doing all the talking, how are you going to understand what they need and want? Or whether you’re even a good fit for them.
How This Impacts Your Life – Listening will get you far. If you truly learn to listen to others, you will enhance all your relationships, both personal and business. If you don’t believe me, just ask your spouse. Or better yet, freak them out by being especially attentive and listen actively to what they have to say. They may wonder what the heck happened to you; but after they get over the shock, they will definitely approve.
Myth 3: To be a good in sales, it’s all about the numbers – Like me, you’ve probably heard that sales is a numbers game. It comes from the premise that if you talk to enough people someone will say “Yes.” I remember long ago when I first heard this. The person explaining the concept went on to say, if you talk to 10 people and 2 say yes, you’re doing well.
The thing I eventually realized was that if you follow that logic, it means that you are wasting 80% of your time. You might be working harder, but you certainly aren’t working smarter. What do think changes when you focus on improving the quality and not the quantity?
How This Impacts Your Life – Narrowing your focus and digging deeper, whether it’s with your relationships or your interests, will give you more rewards and have a bigger pay-off. There are benefits to being an expert or having expertise. You get that from going deeper, not wider. This is a case where “less is more.”
Want to learn how to improve your sales (and life)? Join us for a live workshop in RVA on December 12 – End-Of-The-Year Sales Strategies To Crush Your 2014 Goals!
