Many of us carry around negative beliefs (head trash) that keep us from being successful. As Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is a preview of life’s coming attractions.” That means if you think you can, you most likely will, but if you think you can’t, you won’t.
Many people would rather be right than improve.
It’s so easy to say, “I told you so. I told you it was too hard.” Thus, it’s easier to make excuses for poor performance, blaming other people or circumstances, than it is to make an effort to overcome obstacles and improve. And it’s all because of our head trash. Funny the way things work. Beliefs cause us to act in a certain way, which causes our results. Our results often seem to reinforce our beliefs.
Here’s a short list of common beliefs that negatively impact salespeople’s performance…and the results they cause.
- “I can’t call on C level executives. I’m just not at their level professionally.“ (You will call at lower levels in the organization, damaging your ability to discover the real issues, and eliminating the possibility of getting a decision when you present your solutions.)
- “Business is very competitive, and I must have the best prices to beat my competition.” (You will prematurely determine that price is the most important issue to everybody, and sell on price alone.)
- “I understand why people need time to ‘think things over.’ They need time to evaluate their options. That’s how I make decisions.” (You won’t be able to ask for a decision when you make a proposal, allowing people to stall for time and letting the opportunity slip away. Remember, time kills deals.)
- “I need to educate my prospect on what we do.”
- “It’s impolite to ask about budgets.”
- “Asking a lot of questions is rude and might upset my prospect.”
- “Cold calling is a waste of time.”
- “I just don’t have time to prospect.”
- “My products & services are expensive.”
- “If they like me they’ll buy.”
Self-Study Assignment:
These ten non-supportive beliefs are common with salespeople. Which ones do you have? Try to create more positive beliefs in the form of affirmations about any that affect you.