Why You Have to Believe

It’s an age-old question: “Do I have to believe in what I am selling to be a good salesperson? “ The answer is complicated.

You don’t need to believe in your product or service in order to know how to prospect.

You don’t need to believe in your product or service to know how to ask questions that uncover the kind of problems your product or service can remedy.

You don’t need to believe in your product or service to develop a solution that creates massive value for a prospect.

You don’t need to believe in your product or service to build relationships, the kind of relationships that deals are built upon.

You don’t even need to believe in your product or service to give a convincing presentation, one that ultimately persuades the prospect that you’re the right choice.

You can sell without believing in your product or service.

You can. But you won’t.

The Power of Belief

If you don’t believe in your product or service, if you are not passionately head over heels in love with what you do, you won’t really do what is necessary to succeed in sales. You won’t really do what is necessary to help your company grow its client base and its revenues.

You won’t wake up in the morning desperate to get to the office. You won’t be anxious to pick up the phone and prospect. You won’t be anxious to tell your company’s story if you feel that it is a lie.

Your doubts, your concerns, your fears, and all the things you dislike will prevent you from being passionately engaged in what you do.

Instead, you will pretend to sell. You will make some calls. You’ll make some presentations. You may even make some deals. Not enough to get you on the leader board, but enough to keep you hidden.

You’ll pull your punches.

What’s Next?

Before you quit your job, stop and ask yourself some questions.

Have you really done everything in your power to make the changes that would allow you sell with the confidence, the conviction and the commitment that is inside you?

Have you built the case for change? Have you built the consensus with the decision-makers, the decision-influencers, and the stakeholders who could help you make the changes?

Have you provided a vision of how things would look in the future, after the changes have been made?

Have you presented your proposal? Have you provided an ROI?

Have you sold your company on the changes that you believe are necessary? I am not asking if you have complained . . . I am asking if you have sold inside?

Conclusion

It is possible to make sales even when you don’t believe in your product or service. The technical part of the sale can still be done. But if you don’t believe in the product or service, if you don’t believe that your company is the best choice for your prospects, if you don’t believe that what you sell can and will make the difference, you won’t sell.

NOTE: I know there are salespeople who can throw themselves into selling products or services that they don’t believe in at all. I know they can sell things that don’t even exist.  And I know they are highly motivated. These are not professional salespeople; these are normally sociopaths.

To really succeed in sales, you have to believe.