“I can’t sell because ____!” Have you felt this way??
I hear this all the time. I listen to it from people from all walks of life. Some young, some old, and all in between. Sometimes they follow with an excuse. “I’m too shy! I’m too quiet! I don’t know anybody! They could see right through me!” One of my favorites, “I’m too honest!”
I listen and smile to myself. Usually unknowingly shaking my head in disbelief. I’m thinking to myself they just don’t understand.
I didn’t have a lot of preconceived notions about sales before I started. I was very young, and I had lived a pretty sheltered childhood. I grew up in a world of limited careers. I knew coal miners, school teachers, and nurses. I hadn’t met business owners, architects, engineers, or anything else.
The people I knew felt lucky to have any job in rural Southeastern, Kentucky. The choices were limited, to say the least.
So when I had the opportunity to earn not only a salary, but commission and bonuses too, excuses weren’t what came to my mind.
Instead, I started asking, “what if I could,” and I didn’t say I can’t because I’m shy. I started saying I’m shy, but I can talk to one person at a time. The thought of being dishonest never entered my mind. Instead, I thought these things are fantastic. I need to tell people why so they will know the truth. I didn’t know a soul in my new town, but I was going to meet them.
Instead of the reasons, it wouldn’t work. I chose to ask how can this work for me?
I decided I saw value in what I was being asked to sell. All I had to do was go find others that could use that product or service. All I had to do was see a need. Explain why what I was selling was an answer to the need. That’s selling and the ones that do it well and love it are sometimes quiet, sometimes loud, but are always honest about the value and willing to share so others can appreciate as well.
