Prior to taking Professor Sweet’s class Sales in the Startup I myself had made bad associations with the thought of being in sales. We all may think of a salesman a particular way but here are the three main myths of sales that you may or may not be aware of.
- The Myth Of Being A Blockhead
I will be the first to admit that I more than once of thought it does not take a genius to sell. In reality, it is a lot harder than it seems. There is a science to it, knowing what to say, when not to speak and other things are all parts of the puzzle that makes up a great salesperson.
2. The Myth Of Being A Moneygrabber
The idea that you must be greedy and only care about money is another misconception of being in the field of sales. This is not always the case, just because a person is in sales does not mean they are these money hungry people. Think about it this way. Pastors are also in the world of sales. They have to find the needs of their congregation and try to help find them a solution through faith. Unfortunately there probably are some Pastors that are money hungry but I think it is safe to assume that many are not.
3. The Myth Of Being The Natural
Our last myth is about a person being a natural in the sales department. Before this class I always thought you had to be this outgoing and loud person however that is not the case. It is important to listen as much if not more than you talk. Listening is extremely important because you need to understand the pain of the person. It is important to be outgoing and confident when talking to your customers but you need to balance that out with listening.
All three of the myths listed above are assumptions that I and others have bought into. All of them however are just myths and it is important to remember that when approached by a salesperson in a store.
BoweryJE22
I am glad that these myths are coming to light and not all salespeople are seen this way anymore. Yes, while it may still be true for some salespeople, it is not that way with all and hopefully stigma against salespeople will go away soon.
I love the myth of the blockhead point made. I think that some of the smartest people in the world could make bad salesman and some of the dumbest could make good salesman but it does take skills. It doesn’t matter too much how smart you are, you need people skills and some basic other skills and you will do just fine.
These myths can be very bad for genuine, honest sales people. Not all sales people live up to the stigma of being greedy, or being uneducated. This is a bad thing for the honest sales people, and I am glad that people are seeing through this.