Top myt 0 urban of sales ,l hs

By Paul R. DModica

A S THE economy rolls on. sales la.myths still permeate product and professional service sales forces trying to hit their forecasted goals or sales quotas.

Like urban myths, many of these business beliefs continue to proliferate without identified authorship or business validity. Often salespeople just use the same methods of selling that they always have used. This "autoselling" approach makes them feel good because they stay inside of their comfort zone. In reality, it reduces their selling performance because they never change or adapt their selling process to the need of their selling environment.

Here are the top l0 sales myths that are currently in vogue:

Mv*r #'l

Spending a disproportionate amount of your available sales cycle selling time with a decision influencer will increase your sales success.

THr Rrnurv:

Hitting sales targets is a time management issue. How many prospects do I have? Which are qualified? How many can I talk with or see in person in one day? How quickly can I move them through the required sales steps and how fast can I get them to take an action step to buy from me? These variables all are relevant in selling.

Decision influencers are communication liaisons for your business value. When you present and sell them, you are asking to have a non-professional salesperson communicate your business value for you to the decision makers. When focusing on influencers, you are saying (a) you do not have the sales skills to get to the decision makers or (b) you are hoping they will be able to discuss your business value as well as you can. Can you sell decision influencers? Yes. but it is a slorv. non-preferred process.

Mvrr-r #2

Dropping prices rvill increase sales in the long-term.

THr Rrnlrrv:

Time and time again. every business segment that follows a commodity-based pricing scheme fails. Selling dorvn and by price is a short-term sales model that cannot sustain financial integrity. Repeat customers buy value; single sale customers buy price.

Mvn-r #3

Business netrvorking is better than cold calling for lead generation.

THr Rrnltrv:

This is another myth propitiated by those rvho do not want to cold call. Sales reps who rvill not cold call are half-cycle salespeople. Yes. netrvorking can create leads. but just because you knorv someone does not mean they are a buyer today. Netrvorking is a long-term. minimum-volume lead generation technique. Cold calling is the sales pipeline of success.

MvrH #4

Sales training is a cost center.

Tnr Rrnlrrv:

Most c.e.o.'s do not spend enough on sales training. They believe that it is more important to invest in development, engineering or operations staff training than sales training. In fact. sales training is more important than technical education and is a true business profit center investment. Without sales. you don't need development or operations. C.e.o.'s can ahvays subcontract development. engineering or service delivery work-but try sub- contracting your sales successl

MvrH t5

Clients buy products or business services.

THr Rrnrrrv:

Clients never buy your products or business services. Account managers rvho sell business services or products usually sell less. Clients buy pain management and the results your products or services produce.

MYIH 16

Because you were successful last year. you should be successful this year.

THr Rrnurv:

Salespeople often default to a comfort zone of auto selling-doing the same things year after year. This repetition implies that all prospects and customers are the same-that they are not individuals and that they don't change. To sell more each new year. become a full-time sales student.

Mwa #7

Marketing department responsibilities should be focused on brochures. Web site communication. and trade shorv management.

Tnr Rmrrrv:

P.R. is not revenue. Marketing is not revenue. Advertising is not revenue. Revenue is revenue. The marketing department's primary business responsibility should be creating qualified sales leads for the sales team.

MvrH sB

It is sales management's responsibility to close sales deals for you.

Tnr Rnurv:

Sales management's responsibility is to help you sell as a salesperson.

That means increasing qualified lead traffic, supervising operational issues that affect your deals, updating your sales training skills, and acting as an intermediary with corporate management. That does not mean going to every sales presentation or meeting every prospect in person.

Many times, this becomes the norm instead of the exception because sales management usually carries the department's quota as a whole and revenue is revenue. Why pursue sales management if you have to close every deal? If you're a professional salesperson, most times you should not need your manager to close deals.

Mvrn #9

Question-based sales probing increase sales.

Tnr Rrnlrrv:

Asking prospects detailed questions too early in the sales process actually ends most sales cycles. You cannot cold call or engage an executive of a company the first time. start pinging them with probing business questions. and expect them to answer honestly. To sell to management, you must first earn their respect as a business peer, not a vendor. You must validate your knowledge about industry pains. so you can earn the right to ask investigative questions about their business needs when it is appropriate.

MyrH #1 0

Relationship the first sale. starts before

Tnr RrRr-rrv:

This is the biggest myth of the group-and is totally wrong. Just because prospects take your phone calls, talk to you at trade shows, or let you buy them dinner does not mean you have a relationship with them. Prospects have to buy something to have a relationship with you.

After prospects buy from you the first time, they then evaluate what you said their purchase would deliver to them as far as a benefit and then they decide if what you said in your presales cycle matches what they received in their post-sales cycle. If it does, then the customer buys from you a second time... and that's when the relationship starts.

- Paul DiModica is author of Sales Management Power Strategies and president of management consultant DigitalHatch. He can be reached via www.oauldimodic a.c om.

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