Sales Blog: Attitude is Everything

Winston Churchill once said, “Attitude it is a little thing that can make a big difference.” Churchill is the only British Prime Minister to have received the Nobel Peace Prize in literature. Due to his superior attitude, Churchill was able to inspired the people of his time and generations to come.

Although Churchill might not have been talking about the importance of attitude when practicing sales, his focus on the present and actions that lead to improved outcomes can be applied to the work of any sales person today.

The attitude of your sales team is directly proportional to  your company’s profitability, accountability, as well as the relationships developed with prospects. But, there are many obstacles and weaknesses that can hinder your sales team’s effectiveness.

Here are three of the most common weaknesses  of sales professionals and how your sales team can avoid falling victim to them:

1. A need for approval- It is human nature to want to be liked, loved, and respected, many sales professionals allow human nature to get in the way of making smart sales decisions. Often the main focus for sales professionals is being liked by  prospects. This can lead to fatal mistakes, including longer selling cycles and inability to discuss serious business matters, such as budget. In order to avoid this mistake, sales professionals should connect with prospects through business bonding rather than social  bonding.
2. Non-supportive buying cycle- A sales professional allows the way they make decisions or shop in personal life to affect the way that they sell. For example, if a car sales person likes to look at all the options before making a decision, they will most likely give a prospect more time to make their decision. If the prospect is willing to buy then, this could cause an unnecessary lengthened buying cycle. To evade the situation, a salesperson should never assume prospects buy the same way they buy. By reading the prospect, a sales professional can know when the prospect is ready to purchase.
3. Head Trash- Head trash can be defined as a negative though process in which one believes an idea is true, but the idea actually false and the sales profession cannot separate their opinion from the facts. Commonly sales professionals allow themselves to believe the world works a certain way. If a sales person believes that no one will answer their phones on Fridays between 4 and 6 PM, they are not going to make cold calls during that time. But, the sales person will never know if this time truly was not the best option unless they attempt to make cold calls during this time and see the response. Head trash requires an attitude adjustment, so a sales professional knows nothing is true unless proven by trial.

If your sales team is aware of these common mistakes and weaknesses of salespeople proper attitude adjustments can be made, leading to more consistent behavioral practices and ultimately more deals closed.