Sales! EEWWW, I HATE Sales! (Really?)

Let’s talk about sales…more specifically, success in selling and one’s mindset.

I think that in most of Western society, there’s a reluctance to engage in “sales,” particularly if it’s informed by a “give and take” or “duke it out” mindset.

Sadly, salespeople are notorious for pushy, unprofessional behaviors that give sales a bad name. You also have those who are hindered by “sales call reluctance” who seem to find every reason under the sun to avoid a real conversation. Either way, the wrong mindset is leading them to miss the connection with buyers necessary to make a sale.

For the potential buyer, negative experience with salespeople breeds a reluctance to challenge a stated price for a product or service and instead paying more than one would like, or just walking away. They may choose to “make do” to avoid having to engage with a salesperson. Obviously, buyers avoiding salespeople is not exactly ideal if we want to have any hope of selling them something.

In case you’re wondering what’s got me on this rant, I’m currently doing a certification program to deliver a future sales training program...so it’s fresh on my mind!

Is selling hard? Demanding? Require many of us to step outside of our comfort zone? Sure, that’s true for almost everyone.

It’s ESPECIALLY true for many folks in small business who are in it for the product or service they bring to market, as a way to “be their own boss,” or simply to make more money. They AREN’T in it to sell, even though not much is going to happen if they DON’T sell. They can make things even worse for themselves if they hire someone to do the selling for them and don’t know what that person should REALLY be doing or what success REALLY looks like.

At this point, I hope that you can see how CRAZY that mindset can be for a small business owner.

Getting mindset right is more important to success in selling than any particular sales technique. It’s what is needed to help you engage in the regular and frequent selling activities that MUST happen. Not embracing the sales aspect of your business can negatively impact interactions with your team (if you have one), other business owners, your friends and family...you name it.

Sales activities usually involve getting people to do something that they weren’t thinking of doing on their own…and thinking it’s “the best idea they ever came up with”…maybe with your help. The sooner one gets a grip on what goes on “in the back of their head” about sales, and “takes out the trash” regarding what’s there, the better their performance will be in sales, as a business leader, and as a business owner.

The starting point is often thinking of selling as “Professionally HELPING other people to buy.” You have to recognize that selling is a conversation, with a PURPOSE, guided by Curiosity (about the facts) and Interest (in the person).

What’s your mindset about selling? And how’s that been working for you?