Sales executives help to drive business forward by selling its products or services to customers. It is quite common that when you start in a new profession there are circumstances that can put you in stages of self-limiting beliefs, which is nothing but an assumption, story or mindset that prevents success, hinder growth, and hamper performance.
Sales Self-Limiting Beliefs
Let’s discuss about the six common self-limiting beliefs of sales freshers.
1. I WOULD START SELLING EASY IF I HAD MY BUSINESS CARD.
New salespeople believe every business card handed out to a customer is a voucher that they will bring back in exchange for a product purchase.
But business card to a customer is like a dismissal slip. Just recall how many times you had been offered business cards from various sales floors and how many of those you kept for future reference? Probably a few or none.
Handing someone a business card is the path of least resistance taken by someone fearful of asking for prospects contact information.
Instead of business cards, create a contact of yourself in your contacts list and when a customer asks for a business card, tell them you were tired of customers losing your card and that it would be best for them to have your contact saved in their phone instead and when you send your contact, you will have their phone numbers too.
2. I AM GOOD AT TALKING TO PEOPLE, SO I WILL BE GREAT AT SELLING.
Imagine someone says “I can stack bricks well, so I am a great architect” it would be the same effect if you say I am good at talking to people, so I will be great at selling. There are a lot of nice conversationalists who struggle to sell.
The specific words you use are a key aspect of your ability to sell. So, seek out the people in your field who are top performers selling to new as well as repeat and referral customers. Lean from them what they say, how and why they are saying it. Learn the power phrases to address customer fears and objections.
3. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO LEARN IS THE PAPERWORK / SOFTWARE.
Nothing more important than to learn the steps in the sales process. Paperwork and software are a small part of selling.
If you know the steps in the sales process, and why you are leading the customer through each step in that process then you don’t need to worry about doing much paperwork.
Sell yourself, imagine you were buying and simply write yourself as customer from start to finish and identify every step in the process required paperwork and number those with a # till finish the very last step in the process. i.e., product delivery. In this way you will have a paperwork guide and use them as and when required.
4. ASKING FOR HELP WILL ANNOYING PEOPLE.
It is a myth that if you ask for help your co-workers/ seniors will get annoyed. Most companies, managers and co-workers understand that new people are going to need help. One should understand we succeeds as a team and seniors and co-workers are there to help you to success than allow you to fail because we succeed and fail as a team.
5. HIDE THE FACT THAT I AM NEW TO SALES FROM MY CUSTOMERS
It’s reasonable to have this fear because customers do value expertise, product knowledge, and process understanding when looking for the right sales consultant to help serve their needs.
Customers also be afraid of salespeople who aren’t transparent, honest, or downright lie.
So, if you are a customer Would you rather work with a salesperson who isn’t transparent or honest with you or a new salesperson who doesn’t know everything yet? It won’t take for a customer to figure out if you are a new salesperson or not.
By telling a customer you are new, instantly you gain trust. This will allow the customer will reciprocate and be honest about their needs and concerns and want to work with you more.
6. PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE IS USEFUL SO I CAN ANSWER CUSTOMER QUESTIONS AND TEACH THEM EVERYTHING ABOUT THE PRODUCT.
Yes, product knowledge is important and being able to answer customers’ questions helps, and at the same time customer doesn’t need to know everything about the product and over-educating them will cost you sales.
Learn from the experts how they use the product knowledge to build value in a walk-around presentation.
You required product knowledge firstly to cater your sales presentation needs and secondly customers appreciate expertise.
To sum up, when starting a new profession all of us will have knowledge gaps and limiting beliefs, that could potentially hold our success back. It is critical to identify knowledge gaps and limiting beliefs and replace them with right mindsets for success.
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