Busting sales myths!

There are lots of myths about sales people. 

A sales person is very dominating: This is one of the myths that every one believes. They imagine a sales person to be like a James Bond . Suave, smart and utterly over powering. He is seen as a bulldozer, who can raze down everything in his wake. But a sales person is one of the most submissive (or plays the role of a submissive) person. He has to subordinate himself to his boss, his customer, the dealers and even the service department. He has to be good negotiator to get along with his job. Some people call sales people good wheeler dealers. Most Sales people have dogs as pets. Dogs are the most submissive of all pets and his pet dog is the only thing that submits itself to the sales person.

A need can be created: This is something that I always hear even professional sales people say. But my friends that the basic tenet. A need can’t be created. Only wants can be created. If a person is not hungry nothing in the words can make him consume anything. Yes if he is hungry he might choose any of the various option of overcoming his hunger.

Selling combs to a bald person: One of the favorite questions of all interviews.  “Can you sell a comb to a baldie”. My answer would be a no. But pushed to answer, maybe I would volunteer to say that one of the uses of a comb for a baldie would be to scratch his head if it is itching.

Selling a refrigerator to an Eskimo: This is something that is possible. Yes Eskimos use the refrigerator and for the exact reverse uses of what we are it using for. We use the fridge to keep the food cold and to see that it is not spoiled. The Eskimos who live in a very cold area find that all their food is frozen so hard that a person can be killed with a sharpened chocolate bar! Eskimos use the fridge to keep their food soft and malleable and in a eatable condition.

A sale is an art and not science: Sales is seen as a mambo jumbo. Something that is like black magic. Customers are hoodwinked and they are sucked into a sale. But sales is pure science. The steps of a sales process can be broken down into logically and any any smart person can master these steps. It is as simple or as difficult as surgery or accounting. Correctly trained most people would find sales to be a very enriching experience.

Sales ends with the procurement of an order: Most sales professionals exclaim that sales ends with the procuring of the order. But sale is cyclical and would go on and on in circles . The order has to be executed, installed, the customer has to be trained, the payment has to be collected and the customer has to be given excellent service. All these successfully executed the same customer could be approached to buy the product again.