--- title: Of Course People Want to Be Sold | The Sales Blog description: For God’s sake can we please stop talking about sales like it’s 1954? Don’t you cringe when you hear people say things like “People don’t want to be sold? Is it really your experience that salespeople are walking into their prospect’s doors spraying and praying? I’d have an easier time believing that you had to nudge […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2013-03-12-at-1_45_47-PM.png --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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Don’t you cringe when you hear people say things like “People don’t want to be sold? Is it really your experience that salespeople are walking into their prospect’s doors spraying and praying? I’d have an easier time believing that you had to nudge the salesperson out of their diagnosis long enough to pitch you. If you say something like “people don’t want to be sold,” it’s only true if you are talking about sales four decades ago. It’s true if by that you mean spray and pray, pitch, withhold information, and use tie downs and [closing techniques](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2012/04/15/how-to-ask-for-the-deal/) from a time before most salespeople were born. Of course people want to “be sold.” Why wouldn’t they want someone to help them [understand](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2011/02/06/the-power-question-that-doubles-your-understanding/) their business challenges? Why wouldn’t they want someone with subject matter expertise and business acumen to help them understand the choices available to them in improving their performance? Why wouldn’t they benefit from having a smart, thoughtful salesperson help them resolve the concerns they have about upsetting the status quo? Does anyone really believe that their prospective clients don’t want someone to help [build consensus](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2013/01/02/building-consensus-its-whats-for-dinner/) around change, someone to help justify the decision to change, and someone to hold accountable for those new results? As for selling, who wants to buy from someone that doesn’t [believe](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2013/02/12/the-audacity-of-belief/) so strongly in what they sell that they will advocate vociferously for the opportunity to serve their prospective client? Of course, no one wants to “be sold” by a salesperson that does any of these things poorly. But they also don’t want to go to a doctor that practices medicine poorly, or a lawyer that practices law poorly (this list could go on ad infinitum). That doesn’t mean they don’t still need a doctor or a lawyer. Salespeople and sales organizations have been in tune with and adapted to the changes that have occurred over the last forty years in real time. The changes in the way we sell were underway long before the chattering class decided to weigh in with their ideas. How else could we have sold so much? ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2013](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2013) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on March 12, 2013 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2022-06-16T3:23:40 PM", "datePublished" : "2013-03-12 21:56:14", "description" : "For God’s sake can we please stop talking about sales like it’s 1954? Don’t you cringe when you hear people say things like “People don’t want to be sold? Is it really your experience that salespeople are walking into their prospect’s doors spraying and praying? 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