Have you heard of the most common three myths of sales success? These will have a major effect on your sales succcess. Fostering these ideas will lead to how we conduct ourselves on the job, ultimately limiting our ability to be effective. Today I’ll share with you three of these misconceptions, why they are false, and the alternative way of thinking towards Integrity Selling.
Myths of Sales Success #1: You need to be unethical
In this day and age, what happens when a business does wrong by a customer? They take their grievance and anger to the social media, or as I like to call it, “word of mouth on steroids.” Your reputation is one of your most valuable assets, and cheating people will only result in it going up in flames. Note here that if you knowingly sell to clients who won’t receive more value than what they pay for it (i.e. a positive return on investment), I consider this unethical as well!
On the flipside, when you make sales based on trust and a win-win relationship, you will earn repeat business, referrals, and a sustainable long-term career. Being ethical is not just the right thing to do, it’s the only way to success!
Myths of Sales Success #2: You need to be pushy
How do you normally react when a salesman is pushy to you? Chances are that you either speak abruptly to them (fight) or hang up on them (flight). If you don’t like it being done to you, then don’t do it to others (time to practice a little empathy)!
Instead, we should sell more by selling less. This paradox is achievable by serving as advisors, partners, and friends to our clients. It may seem contradictory, but one of the kindest and most effective closing phrases we can say to our prospects is “This is my recommendation, but the decision is completely up to you…” This builds enormous credibility and trustworthiness for you!
Myths of Sales Success #3: You need to be “born with it”
In my time as a nurse, I cared for numerous newborn babies. I’ll have to say, I never noticed that any of them exhibited any sales skills! Fostering this myth has caused many salespeople to give up prematurely, not realising the role of hard work, persistence, and self-improvement to become proficient in the art and science of sales.
The reality is that sales skills, like any other skill, can be learned and acquired. When I started my first sales job, I was frightened to death of the phone. My heart pounded, my throat dried up, and my hands shook like a caffeine addict’s. Nevertheless, I persevered through the discomfort, and earned two promotions in the following years as a result. You too can acquire the skills necessary to be successful!
Conclusion
Success in sales requires us to be ethical, tactful, and committed to constant improvement. While there are many more factors that will contribute, we can start by cleansing our consciences of these misconceptions!
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