The Greatest Sales Hurdle is Ourselves
When I sit down to write a blog, I try to think how I can provide value from my thoughts; how it will make some aspect of lives a little easier, or at least understandable. I try to think of challenges that any person in business experiences on a daily basis and one word comes up over and over again – sales.
You may be saying right now, “I don’t need sales skills, because I don’t deal with our clients and customers”. If you are client-facing, a number of contrasting thoughts may be cropping up, such as “I meet my targets every month and am doing well”, or “I am barely managing in this tough economic climate”. There are myriad other powerful responses, thoughts and emotions that sales and the thought of selling evokes among all of us. Why then does this 5 letter word have such a strong grip on our psyches if not all of us are salespeople and required to sell – because this is a myth!
Each and every person on planet Earth has to sell. Each and every person on planet Earth is at some point a customer, client, willing or unwilling buyer of something that another person has to offer. Sales is one of the most pervasively required skills that each of us needs, uses and applies on a daily basis. How else does a child make friends at school; how does someone find their spouse; how do you manage to land a job; how do you win over colleagues to a new way of thinking; and finally how do you get clients or customers to purchase what your company produces? Looking at sales from this perspective, we suddenly begin to realise what our subconscious mind knows – we are constantly selling, even to ourselves!
The challenge is that not everyone is born with a sales talent; it must be worked on, nurtured and developed. You need to understand how you sell, what you actually have to offer and what other people want and need from you. And once you have a handle on this, it is then time to develop a strategy to achieving what you set out to do. That doesn’t sound so hard! Well, for most it is and there is a simple reason for this.
You have most likely heard that sales is an art. That’s true! You have probably also heard that a great deal of psychology and an understanding of people’s emotions and needs are integral tools in a salesperson’s arsenal. That’s also true! You will even come across others who say that sales is a science. They are not wrong either! Sales is really a combination of all of these.
For a “non-salesperson” this is a steep learning curve. It is terrifying and anxiety-provoking having to sell anything. But this is something that everyone feels. Resilience, positivity and perseverance are, hallmarks of great salespeople. When they feel like they are drowning, they somehow float. The difference is that they have mastered their own emotions – and you can do it too! The fear of rejection and failure can be overcome with enough practice and personal development. When you reach this point, sales becomes exciting and exhilarating!
Christopher Robin said it best, “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think”.