May Myth Busters

"You were a born sales person", "She could sell ice to an Eskimo", and "You've got the gift of the gab!"

I'm sure you've heard these statements before and have probably even said them. Well, nothing could be further from the truth; in fact, it would have to be one of the biggest fallacies in sales.

Selling is all about building relationships by using finely tuned communication skills and a structured process, and we all know that skills can be taught. The most successful sales professionals in the world are those who have learned and mastered these skills and apply them everyday; they have a never-ending desire to grow and learn and they have a can-do attitude. They are the ones who come across as genuine, knowledgeable and  they operate with a good balance between the customer's needs and the company’s goals.

Salespeople take on many forms, and one thing for sure is that what sells is YOU, and not your ability to be someone you are not! People buy from people they like and people who they trust. Some of the best salespeople are unassuming and, so, are better on a one-to-one level.

In my experience, it's a common fear that individuals who hold sales roles feel that they are not salespeople and think they are frauds, often feeling uncomfortable with the thought that they haven't the skills or personality to be successful in the sales arena. This discomfort can be easily resolved, however, simply by creating a sales process that can be monitored and used as the framework for identifying training and development needs for these individuals.

These days, most roles have an element of selling within them. A typical example is your bank; bank tellers are instructed to 'upsell' you as a customer on additional products and services, such as home or travel insurance, etc. Selling is rarely about persuading Eskimos to buy ice cubes and, in most cases, you are selling products and services that people want or need anyway. So, the real challenge in today’s sales market is more about persuading them to buy from you instead of from one of your competitors. So what are you doing to make sure more people buy from you?

The answer is to ensure that you are always an effective communicator, a good listener who asks intelligent and relevant questions, and someone who has a genuine interest in your clients. Remember to always be yourself, even while following a structured sales process, because this will assist you in becoming a highly sought-after sales professional, with the potential to earn an uncapped income.