This question drives me nuts! Frankly, it’s sad that people even think about asking it. Unfortunately, it is true and I see too many salespeople lying time and time again to other salespeople.
The concept of social media being the fastest way to grow your business is one of the many lies out there. I just had a phone call with a salesperson for a small business. Although he’s been in sales for 10 years, he is struggling.
The salesperson shared that he spent the first 9 years focusing on social media. The pain of the conversation came when a new competitor entered this salesperson’s space 2 years ago. Today, that competitor is getting all of the business. The salesperson admitted that the reason for their competitor’s success is focusing on selling rather than social media. I want you to think about this for a moment: one business relying on social media and the other relying on selling; the one focused on selling is winning all of the business. This situation plays out far too often.
My feeling why is salespeople lie is because they are running from the truth and they feel that if they buy into a false truth, then their world will become perfect. I really think this happens because too many salespeople are afraid of the customer. They are afraid to engage and hear the word, “no.” Too many salespeople are afraid of customers hurting their feelings and wounding their self-esteem, so much that they feel like they’ll need to run to a “safe zone” for healing. It’s time to get over it and realize that you’re in sales, because you know you can help people. You are in sales, because you can make a difference. You’re in sales, because you care! You believe in yourself and others. That’s why you care. Now, if none of that describes you, it’s time to exit stage right and get a different job.
As you can see, I’m very passionate about this issue and not just the over reliance on social media but the many other sales lies being spouted off by people that have no idea what they are talking about.
#SalesTruth is a book I want you to buy, read and most importantly, let its message sink in. This book has one objective: to dispel the many sales lies people are spreading. It is written by my very good friend, Mike Weinberg. Yes, I did have a chance to contribute to his work, but I’m not asking you to read the book because my name is mentioned in it. I’m asking you to read it, because you need to! Regardless of where you’re at in your sales career, I guarantee you will gain keen insights from this book. Grab your copy here!
Copyright 2019, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results
