I am a salesperson, a rather good salesperson as a matter of fact. Unfortunately salespeople get a bad rap. People tend to think poorly of them and truthfully many people don’t want to do sale because of all the misinformation out there.
The following are 6 BS fact about sales everyone thinks are true.
- Salespeople lie – Many people seem to think that is a requirement of sales. The truth is the best salespeople develop a relationship of trust with their buyers. That can’t happen if a salesperson lies. By telling the truth you create a rapport that lasts a long time.
- Salespeople are pushy – Again we have to look at having a good relationship with our buyers. There is a difference between overcoming objections and not taking no for an answer. Being pushy makes you obnoxious and being successful at sales requires you to be likable.
- Salespeople will sell to everyone – One time I had a client who insisted his line should be in Barney’s. The collection was absolutely wrong for Barney’s and there was no way they would buy it so I refused. Calling on handbag buyers if you sell coats is a waste of time and salespeople are careful to contact the right buyers for their products.
- Salespeople are annoying – Persistence is good, calling a buyer several times a day is not. Good salespeople have a balance between contacting a prospect consistently and overdoing it.
- Salespeople talk to much – A good salesperson knows listening is just as important as talking. You can learn a lot from your customer about what they need if you just take the time to listen.
- Salespeople have low ethical standards – Reputation is everything in sales. If you don’t hold yourself to the highest standards your reputation suffers and that follows you for the rest of your life. People do not want to do business with people who have bad reputations.