What happens to people when they sell??

I often wonder what happens to salespeople when they speak to buyers...

From the endearing, charismatic person you meet socially, they often turn into someone completely different, including:

- A robot

- A person with a fake voice

- A shadow of their former self

- Desperate & needy

- Self-serving

- Overly serious

...and so on.

But why?

It's likely a combination of factors:

- Nervous tension due to lack of knowledge

- Pressure related to targets

- A misconception of what they think sales is

- A skills shortage

- Inferiority complex due to poor self-regard

- A dislike of sales and a mindset of it being a 'stop gap', meaning they go through the motions by thinking it's beneath them

Potential Negative Impacts -

- Missing target

- Miserable existence at work

- Lack of fulfilment / job satisfaction

- Lack of growth, both professionally & personally

- Unfulfilled potential

- Loss of earnings

So how to fix it?

Here are a few pointers:

- by starting to master the art of communication

- by giving sales the respect it deserves, knowing that without it there would be no business

- by tuning into other people & becoming truly empathetic, knowing it'll be more rewarding in the long run

- by going slower, having presence & taking the time to have a considered, intelligent approach

- by writing down all your limiting beliefs & exchanging them for empowered equivalents

- becoming self-aware by recording & listening back to yourself

- by reflecting for 20 minutes at the end of each day

- by writing down your goals in detail

- by practicing the act of gratitude

- by admitting you don't know something but showing willing to learn

- having the guts to fail faster to learn quickly what doesn't work

- taking emotion out and exercising EQ to become objective

- being comfortable in discomfort

- taking pride in your role to boost overall self-esteem

- having an opinion and not being scared to voice it