'There is a recession!' & Other Negative Sales Beliefs

I was at a talk recently about the importance of a positive mental attitude in business.

The main point was that most people have beliefs that hold them back. That started me thinking of the beliefs that can represent barriers to sales growth.

From our experience with hundreds of companies, here are the top 5 negative beliefs found in sales organisations:

1. The market is bad! - this can a fatalism regarding sales revenues

2. Our product is the best! - this can cause a blind arrogance and a failure to listen to the customers real requirements

3. He, or she can sell sand to the arabs! - this leads to too much focus on the sales person, as opposed to the sales process, or the customer

4. They wouldn't be interested in our solution! - the result is that potential customers who could buy are not contacted

5. They will definately buy! - in the absence of sufficient insufficient prequalification this belief can lead to false optimism and inaccurate forecasts

The presenter repeated a number of times that famous quote from Henry Forde - 'either you think you can, or you think you cannot - either way you are right'. How true that is!.