Top 6 Sales Myths (And the Shocking Truth Behind Them)

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Are you guilty of believing some of these sales myths? If you are, you’re hurting the sales performance of your company.

Let’s get right to them:

Sales Myth #1: Academic Success is a Good Indicator of Sales Success

In fact, it works exactly the opposite. Academic success is actually inversely related to sales success, says Chally Group Worldwide. Look for new hires that talk and socialize well and consider hiring them – even if they don’t have an amazing GPA.

Sales Myth #2: Fast Talkers Sell Well 

Just like academic success, this one is exactly the opposite of what you’d expect. The problem, says Entrepreneur, is that fast talkers come across as “insincere” and lacking “concern” and “compassion.” Your customers can also sense the pressure, which makes them skeptical of buying.

Since they’re not really listening, they don’t tend to perform well. Salespeople who listen with empathy and address the prospect’s true need have the highest degree of success.

Sales Myth #3: Sales is a Numbers Game

Actually, sales is a numbers game – but not in the way you think. That same post at Entrepreneur says the harder you work, the more money you make. How many contacts, appointments, and sales you make are important numbers.

BUT the problem is you can’t start treating your prospects like just another sales call (a number). Instead, you should treat them like humans, putting the relationship first. Build that – and the numbers you care about will follow.

Sales Myth #4: The Best Salespeople are Naturals

You must have some skill at sales to succeed. But really, you don’t need to be an all-world talent to do amazingly well in sales. Case in point: Insight Squared cites the following research from Miller Heiman:

  • Top sales pros are 30% more likely to prepare for their sales calls
  • They also are 30% more likely to have a finely honed approach for targeting clients on calls
  • Finally, they are 24% more likely to have a standard process in place for reviewing opportunities

Sales Myth #5: Prospects Buy Primarily on Price

Actually they do this if you can’t demonstrate the value of your product or service to them. If you can show them the value your product or service offers their company (as all good salespeople should), you can easily justify much higher prices.

Sales Myth #6: Good Salespeople Should Be Able to Sell Ice to Eskimos

This is so far from the truth its absurd. It implies that through manipulation and deceptive sales tactics, you can sell your customers something they couldn’t possibly need.

John Chapin says you can succeed in sales this way – but only for a temporary period of time. Eventually, your customers will realize you sell them stuff they don’t need and will walk away.

The best salespeople, he says, focus on the long-term and win-win relationships.

Your Sales will Skyrocket…But Only if You Avoid These Myths!

In any industry, there’s always a number of myths floating around. These were some of the most common ones I could think of off the top my head.

Anyway, now that you know the truth, and it’s backed by data, you’ll do just fine when selling in the future.

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