The following unlucky eight sales myths have plagued me in my 20 year career. Follow them at your own risk!
Myth #1: “A good salesperson can sell anything to anyone.”
This seems to be the first line any salesperson uses in a job interview. My experience is this is not so. A car salesman doesn’t fare well selling high dollar software deals. A “harvesting” oriented salesperson often fails in new logo sales. Technical salespeople don’t necessarily make good solution sales representatives when business value is the focus.
Business is becoming ever more specialized. You must be able to prove how your product/service work in the customer’s environment. High performance sales people know there are three foundational legs to the selling stool: 1) Sales Skills, 2) Industry Skills, 3) Product / Competency Skills. Only this combination provides the trust and confidence your customer can stand on.
Myth #2: "The customer is always right!"
“The customer always knows their symptoms” is more accurate. Some do know have the knowledge of what they need. Most do not because they are not experts in your field. They are experts in their own business as they should be.
Ask a lot of questions before offering any product or solution. Find the root cause of their problems. This builds trust and confidence in the salesperson and their organization. They will still be angry if you give them what they ask for and it doesn’t relieve their symptoms. You are the expert, right? If not, why are you trying to sell me this stuff?
Myth #3: "Salespeople are born, not trained"
I have to admit some people are gifted with personality traits that make selling easier. I have seen more salespeople trained in the science than gifted at birth. This is especially true in industries where business and technical knowledge eclipse “good old boy” tactics. Customers are more sophisticated and procurement more mature these days.
"Fast talkers" are often mistakenly thought of as natural born salespeople when, in fact, fast talking repels most people. Talking doesn't sell. Asking questions and listening does.
Personable, intelligent people with strong desire have proven quite successful in sales. Let them leverage their own personality guided by a structured process. You might be surprised at the results.
Myth #4: “Formal sales processes take away creativity.”
A formal sales process just creates structure, repeatability and the ability to measure results. It’s the science part of the job. It neither creates nor eliminates creativity. Successful sales organizations provide flexibility for Salespeople to add their own personality and creativity to the process. They must make salespeople comfortable and act naturally to be successful.
Myth #5: “Concentrate on your product or solution.”
Making the customer’s problem the nail for you hammer is no way to sell. Solutions help accelerate understanding and act as guides. They are not the end-all be-all, customer value is.
Ask a lot of questions. Listen. Create the vision of how you can provide value in meeting their needs. Sell the vision, not the solution. It’s easier to understand and ties your solution to emotion. Selling is personal, therefore, emotion sells.
Myth #6: "Every prospect is a potential customer!"
Sorry, Grandma Kettle is not going to buy your construction crane. There are realities of economics, international culture, internal politics and sophistication of your buyer that can crush your sale. That won’t stop the prospect from saying no to meetings.
Maybe they want to learn more. Maybe there is one person’s agenda pushing the concept. Maybe your contact just doesn’t like to say no, it makes them feel bad. You can waste a tremendous amount of time and money chasing ghosts.
Qualification, preparation and focus. Every “qualified” prospect is a potential customer.
Myth #7: "Never walk away from the table!"
Don’t walk, run! Closing a bad sale just creates ugly issues. There are many kinds of bad sales. Examples include:
· Not profitable
· Lopsided terms for the company or the customer
· Promises in writing your company can’t keep
· Unreasonable customer who will suck profitability out of the deal after the through support
If it doesn’t make sense for the company walk away. Often this forces a customer to rethink their position. If they really need the solution you are selling, they may change their demands.
Myth #8: "Never take no for an answer!"
Don’t take no for an answer right away. Maybe not even the second or third time. If the customer says “no” enough, they mean it. Don’t chase ghosts that burn valuable time and money. Preliminary qualification is just that, preliminary. Quickly learn, adapt and react.
Remember qualification, preparation and focus. This is applied throughout the entire sales cycle.
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