If you’ve been seeking ways to increase the selling effectiveness of yourself or your sales team, you have probably noticed that buying behavior has changed over the last decade, and that it might be a good idea to adapt your selling approach to accommodate these changes.

You may have also learned about some new sales processes, strategies, models, skills, and techniques designed to improve win rates in today’s digital, information-rich environment.

I agree that each of these attributes contribute greatly to effective selling.  In fact, we have helped hundreds of organizations to embed powerful sales strategies and processes, and have trained thousands of salespeople to develop the skills to deploy them.  However, even the best processes and training programs will have diminished impact in the absence of the most important selling attribute, an empowering belief system.

We all possess beliefs.  When it comes to selling, some of these beliefs empower effective selling, while others detract.  Some popular beliefs actually torpedo any prospect of generating a sale. 

A person’s beliefs drive every aspect of their selling behavior.   Let me say this again.  A salesperson’s beliefs drive every aspect of their behavior.

Quite simply, beliefs determine selling success.

Some beliefs support effective selling, other beliefs limit selling effectiveness.   Interestingly, extensive research shows that most salespeople think they have an empowering set of beliefs.  In reality, the opposite is true.

A seller’s beliefs have a dramatic effect on the words they choose.  Beliefs also control a salesperson’s tonality, their body language, their questions, how they listen, what they hear, what they miss, how much they talk, their intent, how much time they spend selling (versus wheel-spinning), how often they leave their comfort zone, and much, much more. 

Most importantly, these behaviors have a huge impact on how a salesperson is perceived by a buyer.  And in the vast majority of cases, buyer perception will determine who gets the sale.  Period.

The belief system of a salesperson lies squarely at the core of selling success.  Your beliefs do not only have significant correlation to your results, they have the greatest correlation.  Even if a person has learned a great sales process and even if they have developed some selling skills, they will never break out of mediocrity unless they develop an empowering set of beliefs. 

So, if you want to sell more (a lot more), start by changing your beliefs:

1.  Understand the difference between beliefs that empower effective selling, and those that limit effectiveness.

2.  Commit to replacing all your limiting beliefs with empowering ones.

3.  Share empowering beliefs with others on your sales team to accelerate the speed of your learning and support each other through reinforcement.

You’ve developed your current set of beliefs over the course of your entire lifetime, so developing a new set will not occur overnight.  Doing so will require a commitment, a practice and a bit of time.  However, you will begin to see positive effects quickly and I can promise the rewards will be well worth the investment.

And your new, empowering belief system will be the gift that keeps on giving.

Enjoy the journey.  If you’d like to share your results, or if you need any help, I’d love to hear from you…

Copyright © Joe Zente  2019.  All Rights Reserved.