If you're reading this, then you probably have an interest in improving your sales skills. If so, you've come to the right place.
It turns out selling is hard.
Why? There are two main villains at play.
The first is a lack of clarity. We can read all the books we want but when we actually go to 'start', a little voice in our head asks, "Where?"
Starting the sales process for our own business is like wrestling with the proverbial roll of sellotape - we cannot find the end.
This means we are much more likely to just not start - after all, there are emails to send, business logos to sketch and websites to build...
The second villain is actually a collective of individuals. This lot are pervasive and insidious, and are very effective standing in our way.
They are called Performance Barriers.
Performance Barriers are unhelpful thought patterns that stop us from executing on our big ideas. There are some common performance barriers when it comes to selling.
Here are a few big ones. Which is your biggest performance barrier?
Impostor Syndrome
This is the king of all professional (and sometimes personal) performance barriers. Impostor syndrome is the feeling of being a fraud and that someone will very soon catch you out.
This venomous little critter dominates when it comes to selling what you do ("Am I really as good as I say I am?").
It shows up in every stage of the sales process, from speaking at a networking event to how we price our services.
Victim Mindset
The attitude that negative events are happening to you, that you have no power to change them - that you are a victim. People with such a mindset are complainers. They tend to utter words to the effect of "Typical!", "What's the use?" or "Why me?".
Sales (particularly business-to-business sales) is the creating of a future. It is by definition a proactive endeavour. So if you have a reactive mindset or a defeatist mentality, your chances of success are slim. The reason for this is simple - a victim believes they have no control in a situation, which is never true in sales.
Entitlement
Sales is hard work. It requires patience, diligence and humility. Expecting the phone to ring because of a fancy website will not work. Expecting a hefty day rate because of your 'proven track record' probably means you won't get a hefty day rate. Posting every other week on social media does not guarantee success.
When you're working for yourself you have to make things happen. A sense of entitlement will see to it that you don't.
These three performance barriers are not the only ones, but they are pretty common. Which of these stands in your way most often?