Selling with Purpose

Selling With Purpose

What is it about selling that makes you afraid? Do you get nervous at the hint of having to sell? Is it the fear of rejection that scares you? Is it the fear of not being able to communicate effectively?

Define Your Fear. What is it about selling that makes you afraid? Next question, how did you develop this fear? What is it based on?

a) Many people fear sales because they're afraid of being rejected as I mention.

b) Others simply fear being the center of attention; especially when giving a presentation in front a large group of people.

c) Some fear selling because they're simply unprepared to answer tough questions or don't have a deep understanding of the product or service they're selling.

d) Could it be you don't believe in the product or service your selling?

e) Other _______________________________________________

Why do your fear selling? Circle one before you proceed.

Checking Your Premise. Now that you selected, I want you to check the premise of your answer. In other words, I want you to question the validity of your fear. If you chose C, for example, then your fear isn't selling; it has more to do with being unprepared and the potential 'shame' of being exposed in public. Take the necessary steps to learn the product; this confidence in your knowledge will minimize your fear. If you chose B, you have to question why you're afraid of getting up in front of others. Did you have a bad experience when you were younger? Or, are you still programmed by the "children should be seen and not heard' parental reminder? To overcome the fear, you must first check the premise (validity) of why you hold that fear. No one every died from giving a sales presentation...at least not to my knowledge.

Like What You Sell. I can't emphasize this enough. When you sell what you love, you're selling from a position of belief. When you believe in something strongly, that enthusiasm squeezes out the fear. Are you selling something your really believe in or are you selling in order to get a paycheck? If the answer is the latter, you may be successful selling, but you'll never achieve a true level of success (i.e., making money doing what you love). If you don't truly believe in what you're selling, you will always be selling from a position of doubt. Doubt breeds fear. Seek out products you love to sell.

Measure Success Over Time. Many trainers advocate measuring your successes on a daily basis. Let's get real here. Some of my days are full of setbacks making measuring success on daily basis painful. Daily actions are just minor events leading up to the main event; the sale. Don't measure minor events, measure main events. A runner doesn't count how many running steps it took to get to the finish line, he instead focuses on getting there! Stay focus on the main event, the sale, and not the day-to-day ups and downs.

Small Elephant Bites. Remember, the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Begin with small attainable objectives, than move on to larger ones. Build momentum.

Indicators. When you succeed or have a win, take a mental inventory of how it came about. Analyze in your mind the steps you took to manifest this win. When things don't go well, do the same thing; analyze your thoughts and actions and ask, "What should I have done differently?". Setbacks are indicators or guideposts on the road to sales success.

Don't Take It Personal. Earl Nightengale once said that success plays no favorites. Success only favors those who persist and don't give up. Selling is about persistence. Persistence is about not taking rejection personally. When clients or people refuse to buy from you, learn to ask "Why?". And no matter the response you get back from the customer, learn to depersonalize it and then learn from it. Only sissies take things personally (don't be a sales sissy)!

There is one eternal truth about this free market we call capitalism?selling keeps the economy moving. Selling is the grease that lubricates the economic machine and keeps all its moveable parts in motion. From this moment on, as a salesperson, I want you to view your profession as the necessary component for keeping this economy going. I want you to see purpose in your profession. Purpose squeezes out fear in order to make room for enthusiasm.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
FREE book, The Logic of Success at www.thelogicofsuccess.com

© 2003-2004. Victor Gonzalez. All Rights in All Media Reserved. Victor Gonzalez is a sales trainer and motivational coach. To learn more or to contact Victor directly, please visit www.thelogicofsuccess.com

---

Why You Buy, Part Three

Still more discoveries from the recent studies in behavioral economics:Over-Valuing... Read More

People Buy People So Sell On Relationships

(Objection handling tips excerpted from Objections! Objections! Objections!)People buy people.... Read More

Selling Strategy - 5 Ways To Success

Web sites exist for essentially two purposes. The first is... Read More

How To Get Face To Face Over The Phone

One disadvantage of selling by telephone is the lack of... Read More

The Truth Behind Linear Selling: Why It Can Make Prospects Run The Other Way

Sean works for a major telecom company.During one of our... Read More

Telephone Techniques

TELEPHONE TECHNIQUESSelling face to face is different from selling on... Read More

How to Generate Leads on the Internet

In the last decade, the Internet has become a major... Read More

10 Tips To Overcome Your Fear Of Selling

Ahh. Selling. Sometimes, this is a word that is dreaded... Read More

Is Sales Profession an Oxymoron?

If you are in Sales, you have probably heard these... Read More

A Little Something Special Goes a Long Way

Keeping the 80/20 rule in mind; that is that 80%... Read More

Smooth Sailing (Selling) In The Second Half of The Year

You can make a difference in the second half! You... Read More

How To Bully Your Prospects Into Buying Your Product or Service

Selling is a tough job, and sometimes you may need... Read More

Consulting Versus Selling

Consulting Vs Selling, How we can make sales by not... Read More

The Art Of Cold Calling

I know, don't groan. You have to do them if... Read More

The Basic Secrets of A Million Dollar Sales Letter

"Accepting the consequences, good or bad, will free you; take... Read More

How to Acquire More Leads

The most effective prospecting techniques were revealed in the August... Read More

Do You Want to Know the 8 Tips to Selling More Products?

So often sales men and woman are the very people... Read More

What Not To Do With Your Leads

Anyone that works in sales knows just how important it... Read More

Don?t Waste My Time!

Many participants in my programs ask how to deal with... Read More

Keep the Referrals Coming

A key method of our survival in the business and... Read More

How Can a White Paper Support Sales and Marketing?

A white paper supports PR, marketing and sales because it... Read More

The Struggle to Decide: The Paths Customers Take to Solve Problems

Usually my essays discuss the issues that the 'sales' method... Read More

Store Owners - Five Ideas to Increase Sales

1. Animate your window display.How often do you change your... Read More

Planning to Realize Your Goals

Recently, I wrote about about creating specific, compelling goals that... Read More

The Wall of Defensiveness: 7 Ways to Tear It Down

Have you ever gotten frustrated when you realize that your... Read More

Throw Out Your Selling Language - Unlock Your Natural Voice

I was sitting at my desk last week when my... Read More

SPIN, Relevant To Both Salesmanship & Advertising!

Neil Rackham turned the world of high-ticket salesmanship on its... Read More

6 Ways To Get More From Your Promotions

1. Settle On The Right Way ForwardThe purpose of your... Read More

Two Mistakes That Will Cost You Money

You've met a new prospect, accurately assessed their needs and... Read More

The Problem With Technology At The Point Of Sale In Financial Services

BackgroundThere's a conundrum that currently exists between the customer and... Read More

Why People Use Long Sales Copy

Have you ever wondered why some people use long sales... Read More

The Trusted Advisor Relationship: What Is It, and What Should It Be?

For the past months, maybe a year, I've been hearing... Read More

The ?Write? Way to More Sales

The sales letter you can't put down?the advertising copy that... Read More