The Natural Born Salesperson Is A Myth

  You can train yourself to become a good seller too!

There is no such thing as the natural born salesperson, any more than there is a natural born pilot, athlete or physician. There has been a myth circling for years that people who are successful at selling have some natural skills, attitudes or personalities.

I have been teaching people to sell for over thirty years, and it is my opinion that selling, just like any other discipline or profession, requires: learned skills, abilities, traits and attitudes. These are learned. Show me an athlete who has “natural” ability, and I will show you an athlete who will tend to not practice as hard as someone who has to develop these skills and abilities.

What are these so-called natural skills and attitudes that people believe contribute to this innate ability to sell successfully?
· an outgoing personality
· a friendly demeanor
· the ability to naturally persuade people to buy
· an aggressive money-driven philosophy
· a social orientation
· a big ego

What does it really take to be successful in sales?
· the ability to adapt to others
· the willingness to serve and help others
· the ability to control your ego
· the desire to control your destiny
· effective communication skills
· the willingness to continue to learn and grow personally and professionally
· a customer-driven rather than a product/company-driven sales approach

These are not natural tendencies – none of them. People, who are willing to adapt, grow and learn, accomplish this by effort, time, commitment, and persistence. These traits can be in a person’s genes, but people can also cultivate them over time. When they do, they take them into all areas of their lives – not just selling.

So, does Michael Jordan have natural ability, or did he spend hours on the gym floor practicing? Does Katerina Witt have natural ability, or did she spend hours on the ice practicing? Every successful athlete practices for thousands of hours developing both inner strength and outer skills. Selling is no different.

About the author:
Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally renowned sales, management and leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author. Since 1981 he has given over 3500 presentations in 21 countries on a variety of sales, management, leadership and relationship topics. He is the best selling author of over 60 books including; Soft Sell, That’s Life, Peace Of Mind, 91 Challenges Managers Face Today and Your First Year In Sales. He can be reached at tim@timconnor.com, 704-895-1230 or visit his website at www.timconnor.com.



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