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8 Sales Myths and Their Realities

2/11/2016

As a salesperson, sales trainer and entrepreneur, I tend to be surrounded by other salespeople. Some of the good, some of them not so good, and some of them outstanding. Whether they are terrible or outstanding, each of them subscribes and preaches certain sales myths.

Some of these myths are true, and some are very misguided and will harm you. Here are 8 sales myths and their true realities.

Cold calling is dead and doesn’t work - FALSE - This statement is made by weak undisciplined salespeople and non-salespeople in sales roles. Cold calling is NOT dead. It does work. It works in all businesses. Where it doesn’t work is when you don’t have a defined calling script, a defined strategy and a targeted and qualified prospect. Pick up the phone!
It’s not about the fundamentals anymore - FALSE - It is absolutely about the fundamentals. Everything comes down to mastering the basics/fundamentals. Without them, there is no foundation, and you cannot build your skills. There is a famous public supposed “sales guru” preaching this. He is dead wrong, and should never be viewed as a “sales guru” again for this ignorance.
The best salespeople are the best talkers - FALSE - The best salespeople are the best listeners. They are the best listeners because they ask the best questions. The best salespeople, therefore, ask the best questions.
Sales is a numbers game - TRUE - Less is not more. Less is just less anyway you slice it. Sales is absolutely a numbers game, with one caveat. You must see the right quality of prospect that’s been qualified to meet all your ideal client criteria. Then you must maximize your exposure to as many of these prospects as possible.
Sales requires thick skin - FALSE - I have been in sales dealing with rejection my entire career, and I have yet to develop a thick skin. I’m emotional and love people, so rejection hurts. What helps is focusing on the learning, improving, managing the numbers and finding even a small victory when someone tells you no or criticizes you.
It all comes down to price - FALSE - If this were true, no one would buy a Rolls Royce, a Cartier watch or an expensive meal. Value trumps price every time. Those that say otherwise, don’t understand the real value and therefore cannot offer and deliver value. Be thankful these people exist.
Salespeople are born - FALSE - Salespeople are made. You must learn the skills and work to master the art and business of sales.
Sales closing techniques are dead - FALSE - No matter how good you are, no matter how much they love you and your product or service, you still have to close the deal. Every deal must be closed. Stop listening to those who say closing techniques don’t work. They do and are an absolute necessity.

Do not subscribe to sales myths. They will ruin your sales reality. If you buy into the false ones, you are placing a severe limit on your success. Get around people who focus on getting better and winning. They don’t live by sales myths, but rather by creating better sales realities, and that will fatten your wallet!

1 Comment

Stop hiding behind technology

2/1/2016

0 Comments

At a recent client engagement, I witnessed an interaction between two salespeople that absolutely shocked me. They were both in training, and both communicating in training, but it was as if they were forced to actually talk.

When the opportunity presented itself to discuss a project further, one salesman said to the other, “email me the details and I’ll get back to you.” The response killed me. “sounds like a plan."

No it doesn’t sound like a plan. They were right next to each other, and preferred not to actually talk. Here’s another prime example:

- I call a prospect and it goes to voicemail, so I leave a message. 3 minutes later the prospect emails me and apologizes for missing my call. I immediately call back, only to go straight to voicemail. Then I get a text apologizing for him being unavailable.

How about this, instead of taking the time to email and text, why not just answering the damn phone. It would’ve been faster.

Have we really gotten to the point where face-to-face communication or phone calls are too difficult? Has technology allowed us to avoid all real communication?

Maybe this is a rant more than anything, but for the love of God, stop hiding behind technology. Better yet, learn to communicate.

Yes email, twitter, and texting are all wonderful tools. That doesn’t mean, and were not meant to, eliminate actual conversation.

So much, and such enormous parts of communication, are actually missed electronically. You can’t interpret emotions, in fact more often than not, emotions and intent are misinterpreted through digital communication. Deals don’t happen through email. Deals happen if I like you, and I don’t like you if you won’t actually talk to me.

Stop hiding behind technology and learn to talk to people. Human interaction is actually wonderful and enjoyable and leads to great outcomes. Digital communication is great for confirmation and passing details. Deals though, are done between people actually talking.

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8 Sales Myths and Their Realities

Stop hiding behind technology

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