We Hear It, But Don't Believe It

The Enemy Within

"Why can't I hire great salespeople?" It's a common whine. The fact is: sales is a hard career. If that wasn't true, we wouldn't be willing to pay successful salespeople as much as we do. Most people who take the sales job just aren't going to sell that much, if anything. Nothing in business is more expensive than hiring salespeople who don't succeed. It is possible to screen out most of those destined for failure before you hire them. It is possible to raise the game of many of the salespeople whom you already have if you know how to identify and fix the real problems. Unfortunately, most business owners have neither the patience to do the former nor the expertise to do the latter. They could solve the problem, but they won't. For their sloth, they pay a high price.

So why don't most salespeople sell more than they do?
The late, great comic-strip character, Pogo once said, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

Many of us act a certain way when we are shopping and then are disappointed when our prospect exhibits the same behavior when it's we who are doing the selling. We'd like our prospective clients to purchase our services quickly and easily. However, in many cases, we ourselves exhibit buying traits that would make us cringe if we had to sell something to ourselves.

The problem is that our own negative buying behaviors may make us ineffective in our sales calls. It's the (often) sad truth that if you exhibit a particular behavior, you may be more willing to accept that behavior from a prospective client. If you can correct these personal behaviors, you will be much better at recognizing and overcoming these issues with your prospective clients.

There are four main behavioral traits that will negatively affect how you sell:

(1) Non-supportive buying cycle: Are you a big comparison shopper? If you are, then you will probably be very accommodating to your prospects that shop that way as well. This can result in a very long sales cycle. You'll have to correct this problem in yourself before you can learn to recognize and overcome it in your sales prospects. Solving this problem can help you to be up to 50% more effective in your closing.

(2) Need for approval: Are you discouraged if people don't respond positively to your sales efforts? Remember that you are selling a product or service, not a personal relationship. A person doesn't have to be your best friend to purchase from you. They only have to like you enough to do business with you. Correcting this problem can help you to be up to 35% more effective in your selling.

(3) Emotional involvement: Do you talk more than you listen? When you are listening, do you often think about what you are going to say next? If so, then you're listening to yourself and not to your prospect. Try to make it a habit to listen only to the prospect, not yourself. Overcoming this problem will add up to 30% to your sales success.

(4) Money intolerance: Do you have a hard time talking to your prospects about money issues? You must be brave enough to talk money any time it is necessary (pre-qualification, negotiation, etc.). Remember that it is more about their money and needs than it is about your prices. Solving this problem can add up to a 25% increase in sales success.

Most salespeople have one or more of these weaknesses. That's great news because in some (but not all) cases it's possible to identify and change these self-defeating beliefs. Do so early and you can avoid some very expensive bad hires. Help your existing people change what needs to be changed and you'll convert your sales training dollars from an expense to an investment.

Mark Fitzgerald, Sales Training Institute, Inc., Tampa, Florida provides this column weekly. Mr. Fitzgerald provides both group and customized sales training for professionals and companies. For more information, please contact him by telephone at 813-831-5555 via email at mark@saleskills.com or visit www.saleskills.com. © Copyright Mark Fitzgerald, 2009, All Rights Reserved.