Sales, it doesn’t come naturally to many and every time you are asked to start selling you get a tingle in stomach and quickly find out excuses to avoid going out to sell. Why is that so?
Let’s get to the root of the real problem. The issue can be 100% psychological, it may be that you do not want to be associated with the sales stigma, or you may simply not know the proper strategy to effectively sell the product, but if this problem is not solved it will cost you a fortune for the rest of your life. The challenge involves facing your lack of confidence, others might call it fear of rejection, but let’s just call it fear.
The average person is afraid of being rejected or “tainting” their image by being considered a “salesperson”, or they put too much emphasis on people saying NO to them.
If your challenge is “fear of rejection”, this is what is truly happening to them psychologically:
- You are afraid that someone won’t like you because you are trying to sell them something
- You are afraid that your image will be ruined because you will be considered a salesperson
- You are afraid that people will say NO and it will hurt your ego or your emotions
- You are afraid that your Job will be at risk if you are not able to achieve your Sales numbers
Some false assumptions you make:
- You are too good to be a salesperson
- You want to be a respectable professional and selling is not a profession
- You have more important things to do
- No one is going to want to buy the product
What is really happening when you lie to yourself:
You discover excuses to prove to yourself that selling is not necessary
You are “selling” yourself reasons not to sell to satisfy your fear of being rejected
The facts:
- A successful sales professional is the highest paid of all professionals
- Successful sales professionals get more promotions than non-sales professionals
- The sales and marketing departments are the most important departments for all corporations
- All successful professionals have sold products, services or ideas in order to become successful, personally and professionally.
The only way any business can succeed is if their products sell
Now let us see what it takes to be a winning Sales person
Now let us understand the key traits that can make you a Winning Salesperson. It is all within You
When most people think of salespeople they think of energetic, charismatic, money-driven, and relentless. Here are the
10 key traits to look to truly determine the ability of a salesperson.
- Ability to Build Empathy
For two reasons, a salesperson must be able to build empathy with prospects and clients.
People buy from people they trust and feel comfortable with. Product and price are secondary; the person behind the product is who the client is purchasing from. If a salesperson can build rapport more effectively than a competitor, they will close deals more effectively too. Empathy helps you to understand the problems and needs of the client, which moves the client towards closing the deal.
The sale will close from the client’s urgency, given the client’s appreciation of the value the salesperson offers.
- Ability to Listen and be Naturally Inquisitive
Listening is the most important part of any sales process. The ability to ask provoking questions, get your prospect speaking, and practice reflective listening will elicit the prospect’s pain points, arm you with the knowledge to close the deal, and get the prospect to trust you.
It’s all about gaining your prospect’s attention & trust, giving them the confidence. Nothing better than allowing them to express and then subtly showcasing how your product can solve their problem
- Ability to put yourself in someone’s shoes
A stellar salesperson knows how to think in terms of what the other person is thinking. Sales people need to be able to understand and communicate on their prospect’s term, because it is only then that they will be able to lead the prospect into arriving at their solution.
Putting yourself in someone’s shoes is the foundation of empathy, which enables the sales people to succeed in their jobs.
- Intelligence and Ability to Infer
Sales people know that the prospect’s opinions are not always stated explicitly. Good sales people can make inferences and logical deductions, reading between the lines to understand the true meanings and desires of their prospects, and be able to elicit pain points strategically.
Understand the true feelings of your client based on the verbal and non-verbal cues that they display.
- Communicate Effectively
Sales people need to be able to speak persuasively, effectively, and concisely. Sales people are required to read their prospect and know how to adjust their tone, diction, and speed to match the conversation flow of their client.
You will be required to deal with diverse audience and you must have good awareness and control over your speech.
- Emotional Stability and Regulation
When client’s express frustration, anxiety or fear, it is critical that the sales person stays calm. The ability to stabilize and regulate one’s outward emotions is key for maintaining a professional and effective sales process.
See this as an opportunity and try giving a solution that can calm down your client. You will win their Trust.
- Patience
Patience is a core quality of sales people, who need to nurture leads and move deals forward over months at a time. Demanding a sale to early can ruin the deal.
Patience is the name of the game. Being able to stay calm and collected while your clients speak and vent is core to the role.
- Problem Solving Skills
Sales people must be able to logically reason, and know how to turn any rebuttal into an answer. A good sales person never takes “NO” for an answer, and they can work their way around any objection.
A good sales person has the ability to create a bridge between problem and solution, understanding coherently the path he must take to make this logical sequence evident to his prospect.
You need to adapt and re-frame quickly in order to work through issues.
- Self-Awareness
Being aware of one’s self and one’s impact on the client is critical in making sure you are connecting with them when executing a deal.
Being self-aware is what will enable you to make sure you are communicating on the same wave length as your client.
- High Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is what defines good sales people.
Being able to understand, predict, and act based on what your knowledge of your client’s feelings is critical for success.
Do not treat yourself just as a Salesperson; You hold the power to change their world, add more value to their lives. You hold a product that can make a constructive Impact, go there understand their challenges and guide them to success using your product. Happy Selling!
Note: The thoughts expressed in this article have been adopted from the below blogs published elsewhere. My due regards to the original writers for writing such useful content
Source:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-most-people-scared-sales-what-do-dennis-sanchez/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-most-people-scared-sales-what-do-dennis-sanchez/
