The Sales Attitude

So many people out there think that selling ability is a God given gift or talent. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is that ANYONE can sell. Selling is a learned skill that requires no special gift or abilities.

While at the gas station yesterday a gentleman struck up a conversation with me. He was admiring my car and asked what I did for a living. He said that he would do what ever it takes if it meant he could drive a BMW like mine. I thanked him for the compliment as I chuckled, then I told him I was in sales. He proceeded to inquire about how I got started in sales and what products I sold. I told him that I started 8 years ago by selling pizza coupons door to door. His jaw dropped to the floor! He said “No Way Really?? I could never do that!”

Just 15 seconds earlier he was willing to do anything to own a car like mine but now, all of a sudden he’s freaked out because I said “Door to Door sales” I asked him why he felt that way and he said he just couldn’t muster up the courage to approach a stranger and strike up a conversation. Obviously my response to that was… “Where have we met again?” He laughed and said “I get your point.”

The fact is that we sell ourselves everyday. We talk to strangers everyday and we influence other peoples decisions everyday. These things are a part of life but when the average person contemplates doing it for a living, the fear of failure sets in. People are inherently afraid of rejection and failure and that fear usually precludes them from ever getting ahead in life. It precludes them from taking risks and starting new endeavors. It sadly keeps them in a miserable rut and they usually just end up envying those that took a chance to do something they themselves weren’t even willing to try.

I noticed that the young man was wearing a wedding band on his finger and I mentioned “I see that you’re married…” He said he’s been married for 2 years. I then said “See, you are a salesman after all, you got her to marry you!” He laughed in agreement then finished pumping his gas and waved so long.

Anyone can learn to be an expert sales person if they have a coach or mentor and put in the time and effort. There is only one prerequisite…. You Must Have A Good Attitude.

Does that sound corny? It may, but it is a fact! Here’s the deal… I can teach you the 5 steps to a sale, I can teach you the factors of impulse. I can teach you how to raise impulse. I can teach you how to close the deal. I can teach you how to up-sell, how to work a territory correctly and how to manage a team.

I can even tech you how to maintain a positive attitude when your having a bad day.

But do you want to know the one thing no one can teach you? It’s how to HAVE a positive attitude. Notice I used the word HAVE. Many people out there have written books on how you should “fake it to make it” and essentially how you should “pretend” to be a positive person. I hate to break it to you but, Attitude Is Not A Light Switch! You can’t just turn it on and off when you please.

To be successful at sales all you need is a positive frame of mind and an optimistic attitude!

“When you fix whats on the inside… everything on the outside fixes itself.”

Your attitude boils down to a simple choice: Do you want to live a positive life or a negative life?

Make the decision and follow through. Your positivity will be contagious and it will attract more positive people. These are the people that will like you, trust you and BUY FROM YOU with just a simple nudge in the right direction!