Category: Articles on Sales techniques

Theory vs. practical experience

Whenever I ask, “what is the most important thing about selling?” I often get this answer, “We must build rapport with our customers first”. I would then reply, “Fantastic”. Show me how you would build rapport with me”.

How else do I determine whether the person knows how to sell by principle or by practice? Anyone can say that the art of selling is about building rapport with our customers. In practice, it is not really something that can be easily achieved. Why do you think that is?

The Myths

For more than 15 years of sales coaching and business developing, I have come across a lot of myths about the principles of selling. Recently, I met people from a wide variety of industries. It is alarming how negative the general public perceives what selling is. Some mention how much they hate sales reps push their products aggressively. It is extremely distasteful when sales reps mindlessly pitch their offering, making it difficult for the customer to even get a word in. Many people assumed that all sales reps are arrogant and manipulative. Others would use the word “sell” or “sales” in a negative tone while rolling their eyes. They would dissociate themselves from the term “sell” when they are offering their own products, but yet they are technically still selling to their clients.

In this article, I will highlight the top 10 myths that the general public and many sales reps have when it comes to the principles of selling and why they do not make sense.

A forgotten skill?

Selling can be scary and challenging for many people. However, it does not need to be. Contrary to popular beliefs that introverts can’t sell as well as extroverts, everyone sells all the time. Selling technique is a life skill. The reality is, we do this everyday unconsciously even though it is not our day job. Whether you are selling to clients, making new friends, applying for a job or simply convincing anyone to follow your idea in a meeting, they all require a good selling technique. So how do we make an unconscious behaviour conscious again?

At AWAKE BY FIVE AM, we believe everyone can learn how to sell very well. By learning the technique we offer, your customers will be more engaged. We help you gain the confidence you need when you are in front of your customers.

What is the foundation of a great selling technique?