Selling Myths Revealed

     There is no such thing as a natural born salesperson. No woman in the delivery room looked at her newborn child and said, “We’ve got a Champion salesperson here!”

     Everyone starts out with pretty much the same abilities. Where you go from there depends on a lot of factors. However, what you become in life boils down to the skills you master along the way.  

     Selling has been called both an art and a science. The title doesn’t really matter. What matters is that selling skills can be learned just like the skill of riding a bicycle. It just takes practice.

     Another aspect of this myth is that in order to succeed in sales, you must have ‘the gift of gab.’ While it’s true that you must not be afraid to talk with people, it’s even more important that you learn to listen.

     The human body is amazing. We have been given two eyes, two ears and one mouth. They should be used in that proportion. Learn to listen and observe twice as much as you talk, and you will succeed in sales.

Introvert vs. Extrovert in Sales

     It doesn’t matter what your current disposition is. Both introverts and extroverts can do well in sales. The major difference between the two types of people is that extroverts tend to be interesting while introverts are more interested.

     There’s a story told in Dale Carnegie’s excellent book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” about a man who was invited to a party where he only knew the hosts. During the evening, he mingled with many of the other guests. Afterward, many commented to the hosts on what a wonderful person this new guest was. When asked what they found so interesting about him, the guests realized they hadn’t learned much about him at all. He had made them feel important by getting them to talk about themselves. He was interested.

     The interesting person entertains. The interested person lets others do the talking. The lesson to learn from this is that you can benefit from a little of each disposition. In sales, you want what you say to have an impact and in some cases to achieving that impact requires a bit of entertaining. However, if you keep your focus on asking questions about the clients’ needs, what they like about what they’ve seen so far, what they’d like to know more about, and so on, they’ll end up telling you just what they want to own.

     Then it will just be a matter of handling the paperwork, scheduling delivery or getting their investment information and final approval to make the sale.

Wishing you greatness in selling,