[email protected]

Sales training and sales consulting to increase sales.

Call For A Sales Consultation

972-380-0200
  • About
    • What We Do to Increase Sales
    • Sales Philosophy on Hiring Salespeople
    • Clients
    • Customer Comments
    • In the Media
    • Contact Us
  • Speaking and Training
    • Sales Coaching for Performance Improvement
    • Professional Speaking
    • Sales Training
    • Sales Consultant for Business Development & Increase Sales
  • Sales Products
    • Books
    • Audio CDs
    • Webinars
    • E-Books
    • Manuals
    • Booklets
    • Merchandise
  • Free Resources
    • Videos
    • The Selling Newsletter
    • What is your Selling Issue?
    • Recommended Reading
    • Free Reprint Articles
    • White Papers
    • Sales Pro
  • Upcoming Programs
  • Membership
You are here: Home / Blog / Free Reprint Articles / The Biggest Myth in Sales

The Biggest Myth in Sales

December 13, 2013 By maurasf

Did you hear the one about great salespeople being great talkers? They have the gift of gab and they dazzle their customers into buying anything. Some salespeople even believe it. It’s the biggest myth in sales. Here’s how it got started and why it is a myth.

News travels fast. The poor salesman seems to leave a more lasting impression on the customer than the great salesperson, who makes selling look easy. Poor salespeople get remembered for their excessive talking and the word gets around. The myth is born.

These poor salespeople start talking about all they know the moment the sales call begins. They want to impress the customer with all their knowledge, thinking that selling is one-sided. Selling starts when you learn what your customer knows. Only when you hear what your customer needs should you start talking about your product or service. To really give yourself enough to work with, you should hear 3 needs before you begin your presentation. The way to do this is to question and listen.

Looks like I’m not doing anything. Some salespeople think they are selling and doing something only if they are talking. You are doing something when you actively listen. There are actual physiological changes in the body. Body temperature, heart rate and blood flow slightly increase with active listening.

A good listener focuses on the speaker and tries to determine what the speaker means. A good listener wants to gather clues about the speaker’s message without judging. Try to gather clues about the speaker’s feelings behind his message. Paying attention to nonverbal communication will give you more clues that you can use.

Enter with an open mind, ready to hear what your customer has to say about his business and job. Even though we know what we want to say in our selling message, we have to be flexible and respond to what our customers tell us. Selling is not a random event. Have several alternatives ready to provide solutions that meet your customer’s needs.

Your job as a listener continues with providing feedback to the customer to check your understanding of his message. The feedback shows the customer what you’ve heard. This gives you an opportunity to correct any misunderstandings. It’s also an opportunity to build a stronger communication bond when the salesperson taps into the customer’s correct emotions.

The salesman’s job as a listener is to translate what we hear from our customers into how our products and services can help them. Selling starts with our customers, not with us. If we’re talking and not listening, we’ll miss the clues. The myth of the salesman being a great talker got started by poor salespeople. Unfortunately, the great salespeople have to deal with this myth. Maybe they can address this myth while they’re off golfing. That’s another great myth.

Tweet
PinIt

Filed Under: Free Reprint Articles

THE SELLING E-LETTER® SIGN UP

Social media

  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Selling Tips

*Try to listen to contrary ideas with less emotion. Focus on the idea before you react. You will be a better listener if you first avoid emotions and try to understand.

About the principal

Would you take auto mechanics classes when you buy a car? Maura did because she wanted to be able to work on her car. She takes that same approach to selling. She can show you how to get below the surface of selling to learn why and how different strategies work. She will show you which skills to implement that will shorten your sales cycle and increase your sales. She was Mobil Oil's first female Lubrication Engineer in the United States and one of Chevron's top 5 salespeople in the country. She knows what works for sales.

"I would recommend your work to other sales organizations who want to get better results from improved selling strategies."
Jamey Rootes
President
Houston Texans

Sales Expert at Allbusiness.com

Selling is the easiest job in the world. Just ask anyone who is not in sales. Read Maura's ideas on "more brain...less mouth" selling to make your selling easier and more successful.

Maura's Allbusiness blog posts

Recent Posts

  •   Sales Manager Problems: Why is this person on my sales team?  
  • Sell On The Telephone: 3 Rules to Follow
  • Intangibles: Sell Differently to Sell More
  • Luckier Salespeople Understand the Buying Process
  • Problem Solving 101: Make Decisions Easier

Search

Copyright © 2022 · [email protected]