How to Overcome Common Negative Beliefs About Selling

The number one thing that keeps people from engaging in selling interactions is their negative beliefs about selling.  Having these beliefs is no surprise really.  We’ve all heard the negative terms used to describe sales people and the sales process.  When we’re putting people down we use terms like; huckster and used-car salesman.  Then there are the parody’s on TV like Herb Tarlic the salesman from WKRP, or the tragic protagonist that almost kept me out of my sales career – Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman.

No one wants to be “sold to” or “taken”, which are things that we associate with the sales process.  As a matter of fact, right now in North American society one of the most maligned and despised groups of people are telemarketers!  Am I right?  So much so, that in both Canada and USA our governments are even stepping in to “protect” us from their calls!  As if they’re dangerous to our well-being.  We need protection from them.  So no wonder we all want to shy away from, in any way, shape or form, being even remotely connected to this sales image.

Underlying our distaste for the sales process is the feeling of powerlessness.  What we hate most of all is feeling that we’re being forced into a decision that we will later regret.  There’s even a term for that – buyers remorse – because it happens so often.  We feel bad about ourselves as if it’s a poor refection on our intelligence or our decision-making skills.  “We should have been smarter about our decision.”  “Why did I let him/her talk me into that?”  These are some of the things we may say to ourselves after we consider the item back in the comfort of our own home.

As a service provider who needs to sell their services and products to grow their business, how does one get past this belief that is so ingrained in our culture?

Redefine what selling is to you.

When I started my career as an Athletic Therapist I never imagined I would have a sales career.  When I naively got into my first sales position, I struggled primarily with my negative beliefs about selling.  My big turning point was when I redefined myself as an educator.  I learned that when I was speaking to the right person, at the right time, and giving them the right information, they could decide if my offering would work for them.  This took the pressure off me to “make them buy” from me. My approach changed, and I grew my business.

If you struggle with negative beliefs about selling, here are some steps you can take:

1. Describe all the things you hate about sales people and being “sold” to:
2. Describe all the ways that you and your business are different from that image:
3. Think of a recent positive selling interaction where you were purchasing a service or product.  What did the person you purchased from do well?  What could they have done differently?
4. How will you change your approach in selling interactions for your business?

The primary way to avoid making a potential client feel uncomfortable in a selling interaction is to ask for permission before sharing information.  If someone says “Yes, I’d like to hear more”, or “No, I don’t have time”, you can avoid what I affectionately call “telemarketers syndrome’!

Join us again soon!  Next time we’ll be talking about “Selling with authenticity & integrity!”