8 Things You Thought You Knew About Selling

How old were you when you stopped believing in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy? Definitely old enough to know better, you’ll probably say.

Myths have a life of their own because they’re sometimes more interesting or intriguing answers to explain things to people. Who truly knows why Stonehenge was constructed? It’s probably more fun to speculate than to know the truth.

There are several myths about selling that have been propagated over the years that need debunked.

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.

– John F. Kennedy

See if any of the following sales myths still ring true in your mind…

1. Always Be Closing (ABC). When you expend your energy on ABC, you miss the opportunity to form a relationship with your client or prospect based on what’s best for him or her. With the ABC mindset, you’re too focused on the end result you want rather than on what’s best for the customer. Your number one priority should not be to close, but to help you client find a solution to his or her problem—whether that solution is your product or not.

2. Anyone can be persuaded to buy. If you still believe in this statement, you’re woefully missing your mark. If you’ve “persuaded” someone to purchase something he or she doesn’t need or want, that’s gone beyond persuasion and entered into the realm of manipulation. Persuasion is not a dirty word or to be avoided in sales. Handled properly, persuasion helps a prospect see that your product or service really is the answer to a problem.

3. The customer is always right. Sometimes, our customers have unrealistic expectations or misinformation that needs corrected. More times than not, the customer just doesn’t have all of the information needed to make an educated decision. It’s your job to make sure that assumptions and misunderstandings are explained and that your prospect has the facts necessary to consider all options.

4. The best salespeople are extroverts. Far from true, the best salespersons are those who know how to really listen to their customers and prospects, not those who know how to talk to anybody. In fact, listening techniques that include asking relevant questions are used by psychologists and counselors to help their patients come to an understanding. Those folks aren’t really known to be extroverts, are they?

5. Price is what matters to most buyers. If this were actually true, there wouldn’t be such a wide variety of automobiles available to purchase.

The McKinsey Report states “70 per cent of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated.” This is not to say that a certain subset of the population doesn’t consider price first, but the majority of buyers want something more. They want value for their money. They want a long-term relationship they know they can count on to deliver what they want and need over the long haul. Show your customers and prospects that your product or service has value far beyond its price and that the relationship is just as important to you, and you’ll be more successful.

6. Salespeople aren’t needed anymore. With the advent of the internet and social media, our customers and prospects are much more savvy than they were in the past, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t need a relationship with a person to guide them. Prospects are looking for an expert because they don’t have all of the answers and they don’t have the time and the desire to become fully knowledgeable. They will always need a real person to talk to whose only desire is to help them.

7. Every prospect is a potential customer. Let’s face it—not everyone is a good fit for your product or service. Rather than expend your valuable energy and time chasing every prospect, learn how to cull those who meet the qualifications of a great prospect and find out how you can help them solve a problem. Wasting time on trying to pin down every prospect only gets in the way of the customers who truly need you.

8. You’ll be more successful with the latest, greatest sales techniques or method. Tonnes of books and articles have been written on what’s the latest, greatest sales technique or method to master to achieve success. Ask yourself this question: if it’s truly the best sales technique, why isn’t everyone using it to make millions? When you try to adopt someone else’s way of doing something, you aren’t being your natural self. And once you turn away from what makes you unique, you’re presenting a false front which prospects can smell a mile away. Instead, look for the grain of truth in the latest, greatest techniques and methods and see if there’s anything of value that you can adapt to your natural selling style. What works for someone else won’t work for you if it’s not natural. Find out your natural communication style.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of myths, but just some of the more prevalent ones. Let us know in the comments below if you know some others that need debunked.

At Natural, we help you find your own style and unique talents to become the best salesperson you can be. We help you use your innate abilities to connect with others warmly and sincerely.

Call one of our experts today to discuss how Natural Training can help you expel the myths from your repertoire and become the natural salesperson you already are.