Perception is reality so the saying goes. Never is that more true than when it comes to the process of selling. How you view this critical business function will either help or hinder what you plan to achieve. It seems to me that more than one sales person out there needs this reminder. For the record, I’m calling anyone – that means you too Mr. or Ms. business owner who needs to sell a product or service – a sales person.

Great selling is an art. Those people who do it well understand that it takes a plan, it’s hard work, requires internal motivation, takes time, it requires consistency, and it’s about building relationships with people. Let me say that again...sales is a people business. You won’t get far if...

• You can’t get over your fear of rejection.
• You can’t check your ego at the door.
• You think “selling is bad” versus “sales is simply a way to help others solve their business problems”.
• As a business owner, you think that selling doesn’t apply to you.

To me, these concepts are blindingly obvious. Still, I am often amazed at the people I meet who have something to sell, but they insist that they “hate” selling or that they just don’t want to do it. To me this attitude tells me a few things about you:

1. You naively believe you can avoid sales and still succeed at hitting your revenue goals and personal earning goals. Not gonna happen folks! To be clear, marketing is not selling, so don’t delude yourself in thinking that sending out marketing emails or newsletters is all it takes.

2. Ego is in the way. In other words, the focus is on you – the sale you want to make – not on what is necessarily best for your prospective buyer. Go into each sales call determined to understand the needs of your buyer without pitching what you have to sell.

3. You don’t believe in the value of what you have to sell. If you don’t believe, no one else will. It’s that simple!

4. Fear of rejection is stronger than your desire to succeed. A “no” doesn’t mean never, nor is it a personal smack down of you as a person. No will happen no matter how good you are. Use it as a learning opportunity. Was the timing off? Was your value proposition confusing? Did your competitor offer just a little something extra?

5. You believe that one or two contacts means the sale will automatically close. Yeah, yeah, I know that a good many sales training programs out there will tell you that they can help you close the deal in two conversations. It certainly can happen IF you happen to meet someone at the exact moment they are ready to buy, you’ve established quick rapport and perhaps the product is at a low enough price point that there isn’t much worry about making a buying mistake. If what you sell is a complicated sale, it’s an intangible service or you are asking for a lot of money, prepare for the sale to take some time.

Sooo...do you have a sales mindset?

If you found yourself saying...ooppss, that’s me...when you read my list of 5 above then your sales mindset needs work! If you hope to generate revenue now and in the future, you need to develop a sales mindset fast. Love it. Embrace it. Enjoy it. If you believe that what you have to offer can help others get what they need...selling is not hard at all. What you focus on expands, so focus on success!

Now that I’ve given you a kick in the butt...stop making excuses. Get out there and get selling!