Forget about H1N1. Here's the real affliction making the rounds in the sales profession: Negative Assumption Syndrome (NAS). NAS is the real [career] killer.
Salespeople can be their own worst enemies! I see it often. Salespeople decide for their prospects if they're going to buy. Then, once the salesperson makes this decision, he acts in congruence with that decision.
As of this date, there is no vaccination for Negative Assumption Syndrome. But there is a remedy:
Let the prospect decide if they're not going to buy - Don't do it for them.
Unfortunately, many salespeople don't use the remedy. Just like an expired bottle of pills wasting away in the back of the medicine cabinet, salespeople know they should assume the sale, but they forget. Instead, they exhibit NAS, like these salespeople:
- The rug salesperson who said to his coworker, "I know they're not going to buy...they said they were looking online for rugs...I'll bet they'll buy online."
- The real estate agent who - while driving to his open house - "The weather's too darned nice today...nobody's going to be out looking at houses today."
- The interior designer who says "I know you have to talk to your husband, so show him my plans and then let me know what you guys decide."
- The fitness club sales rep who thinks, "She can't buy a membership...she's got three kids! I only have two kids and I couldn't afford it if I didn't work here."
- The department store salesperson who never offers credit accounts because he says "Anybody who wants a credit card already has one."
- The furniture store sales representative who shows the cheapest recliner first, instead of showing the premium product first because "the economy sucks."
- The door-to-door salesperson who skips a house because "their bad siding tells me they can't afford a security system."
- The optical store rep who doesn't try to add on sunglasses because "times are tight and people can't afford two pairs of glasses these days."
You cannot predict the future. So don't waste time on dire predictions.
If you're going to make assumptions, then make assumptions that you ARE going to be successful, that your prospects ARE going to buy, that you WILL find a way to make it through challenges, that your hard work and sales skill CAN and WILL take you to new heights, that you MUST improve, and that you DESERVE to rise to the top.
Wherever your mind goes, your behavior follows, so select your assumptions carefully.
If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance markets.
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