by Scott Zimmerman
- More product knowledge = more sales
- False, with an asterisk… if you have the patience to play dumb until you have completely finished exploring, then you can succeed. However, a vast majority of salespeople tend to jump in too early when a solution becomes apparent and short-circuit a process that would have worked had they been forced to leave the conversation, research the best solution(s) and return to collaborate on building the solution together.
- Improving presentation skills will make you a better salesperson
- Completely false. Improving your listening and conversational skills will make you a better salesperson. Remember the ear-to-mouth ratio and use them accordingly.
- Prospecting for customers is the way to go
- Half wrong. If possible, prospect for customers that also have the potential to be referral partners or referral sources. For example, if you are a financial planner, target accountants. They need your services and can hand you their clients when they trust you.
- My natural personality lends itself well to a career in sales
- This would only be true if you are—by nature—“people smart”. There are seven types of intelligences and “interpersonal smart” is but one of them. Salespeople with a high degree of interpersonal intelligence naturally adapt to the subtle signals put out by their prospects. However, a vast majority of people are not people smart, so we must learn the skill of “adaptability”. Even if you are outgoing, friendly and persuasive, there’s a high likelihood that your natural style is costing you sales to Thinkers and Directors. Learning how to adapt your pace and degree of warmth to the behaviors demonstrated by each prospect is a sure path to making more sales.
- Working more hours will grow my sales
- “If you gave me six hours to chop down a tree, I would spend the first four sharpening my axe,” is a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln. The same holds true for sales professionals. I’m shocked at how little time most salespeople invest in reading books, listening to audio programs and attending seminars. Top producers are life-long students in the arts of sales, psychology, persuasion, marketing, branding and positioning. One hour invested every day will result in many millions of dollars in sales during a 40-year career.
- Focusing on meeting sales goals is a smart bet
- Wrong focus. Focusing on genuinely helping people will shift your intention; this is the shift that builds liking and trust. Focusing on increasing your productivity will grow sales. Focusing on your own personal and professional development will change the person you become. When you become a learned, productive, likeable person, prospects will go out of their way to become your client and clients will hand you referrals. Focus on your processes and daily growth habits and you’ll shatter sales goals.