Why You’re Struggling With Selling
“Nothing happens until somebody sells something.” — Arthur H. “Red” Motley
Isn’t it interesting that buying and selling is what makes the world go ’round, and so many entrepreneurs and sales professionals persist in struggling with the whole idea of “having” to sell.
I believe much of this has to do with the Myth of the Used Car Salesman in the Popular Imagination.
It’s the image of a sleazy swindler, trying to take you for all you’ve got. He’s pushy, manipulative, and is only concerned with one thing, and that’s making sure he makes the sell no matter what. It doesn’t matter that you don’t even want what he’s selling.
How magnetic or attractive is that?
It’s little wonder people in business for themselves who consider themselves ethical and heart-centered are uncomfortable with selling, and don’t particularly want to refer to themselves as a salesperson.
As I’ve said, I call this the Used Car Salesman Myth.
Is this image true?
Well, myths are considered true or false depending on whose belief system we’re talking about. For example, we are familiar with the Greek Myths, as in the trials and triumphs of Zeus, Aphrodite, Odysseus, etc. In modern times, some might refer to the Great Deluge in the Days of Noah as a myth.
For our purposes, however, the truth value of the myth is not the point, or even that important.
It’s the fact that we act as if it were true.
There’s another example I’d like to share with you of this phenomenon. It’s what I call The Management Myth.
I can stand in front of a group of business managers or CEOs or human resource professionals and put forth the assertion that the tradition top-down, hierarchical, rule-with-the-iron-fist model of management doesn’t work. Rather than motivate, it actually DE-motivates.
When I ask whether they agree, 100% of them affirm my assessment of the situation.
“This is great news,” I congratulate them. ”But, I can guarantee that most of you — even though you agree with my assessment of the futility of managing in this way — most of you,” I repeat, “will go back to your offices or places of work and manage in accord with this proven ineffective model of management.”
“Either that, or you will fail to manage at all for fear of falling into the trap of the old paradigm I’m calling The Management Myth.”
Does this make sense to you why the truth value of a myth — including whether you and I consciously believe the myth — is of little or no consequence?
So it is with the Myth of the Used Car Salesman.
We struggle with sales and selling because are thoughts and feelings about the matter are incongruent.
We have to adopt a new internal story, a new Sales Myth paradigm. And that means we must wake up and consciously choose in the moment to do and be something different.
Otherwise, the default is either to act like the Mythical Used Car Salesman acts (How many times have you caught yourself saying or doing something your parents said or did that you vowed you’d never repeat?!) or shy away from effectively selling your goods or services at all for fear you might come across like that Used Car Salesman.
Wake up! Debunk the Myth!
Choose a new, more empowering sales story for yourself.
