5 Sales Myths and What's the Real Truth

I know I’m in a business that many people gag when I tell them what I do. I can see it in the faces when I tell them that I provide sales consulting and training. Then when I tell them that I actually LOVE sales, they give me an even weirder look. I promise you. I’m not crazy.

In every country and in every moment, sales is happening whether you are in a bazaar in Turkey or the boardroom of a Fortune 100 company. So why do we despise or dismiss it so much. I have a saying which is, "If your business isn't selling, are you in business?" At the end of the day, the entire purpose of a business is to sell something.

So let's dispel some myths and get to the truth about sales.

1. You have to be aggressive and arrogant to close a sale. False. I think this may be the number one reason why we despise sales. Somewhere along the line, someone has been too aggressive and we were turned off by that. It can be one bad sales experience that makes some people make a decision about all sales people. Without a doubt, being aggressive is one way to close the sale but it does not build long term relationships. In the new world of selling, it’s about building long term relationships with the right clients for your product or service. By focusing on this, you will build sustainable revenue streams with loyal customers.

2. Sales is all about playing golf and smoozing the potential customer. False. Sales is not just about playing golf and having fun. I’ve heard employees not on the sales team think sales is all fun and games and may even have resentments about it. Selling does take skill and technique. It’s about building relationships not about entertaining people. It’s about communicating value in a powerful way that compels the potential customer to buy. The value needs to be communicated as it applies their needs and problems otherwise they will hear, "Blah blah blah." Do this right and you will have a happy customer, golf or no golf.

3. If I sell someone, they may not like me. False. Okay, at the risk of sounding sexist, this one may apply more to the women out there. Selling does not need to be an uncomfortable process. You can actually learn to enjoy it as I have. How can someone not like you if you are authentically listening to their needs and problems? How can they think you are being pushy if you are making sure your product or service is the right fit for them? When you shift the paradigm from chasing your potential clients to developing a relationship built on mutual respect, your new clients will love you.

4. Sales scripts will make me sound slick. False. You have to be prepared. You have to know what is unique about your product or service. This starts by understanding your business from your mission and vision to developing your Unique Selling Proposition. I’m not suggesting that you write out an entire script that sounds like the callers trying to sell you long distance. Breakdown your services into bite sized benefit phrases. Then you can mix and match the phrases that meet the needs of your potential client. And if you have a sales team, you will want your entire team to know these phrases so they can present your solution consistently.

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