By Diane Dye Hansen

I saw a meme on Facebook the other day. It was a woman with glowing, soulless eyes. The meme read, “the look you get when you have been in sales too long.” It was posted by a career salesman who felt soulless doing what he does for a living. My question to him was this. Do you believe in what you are selling? His answer: no.
If you don’t believe in what you are selling, you are going to face challenges.

— Articulation: You won’t be able to say why someone should buy what you are selling. If you don’t believe in it, you will feel a lack of integrity every time you speak about your product or service. Soon, you will find it difficult to speak about it at all.

— Motivation: Who wants to spread the news about something they don’t believe in? It’s demotivating to attempt to sell something you can’t put your full self behind. After all, if you can’t convince yourself, how are you going to convince others?

— Disempowerment: Awareness of a flaw or issue with the product or service you are selling is disempowering. This is especially true if you don’t have the power to change it. You will feel the energy draining from your body when you mention what you are selling.

— Lack of Integrity: If you position a product as flawless and perfect for your customer, when you know it isn’t, you may see an unpleasant side effect. The dis-ease of bending the truth and lack of integrity will wear on you after a period of time. The lack of integrity will begin to present itself in other areas of your life. Or, you may self-medicate to push down the guilt.

— Rejection: If it doesn’t feel right to you, the person you are selling to will see that. The more you don’t believe in what you are selling, the more rejection you will get.

I am reminded of an old episode of “The Simpsons” when Marge tries to go into real estate. Her sales manager instructed her during training. “The right house is ANY house and the right customer is the one standing in front of you.”

This isn’t a true statement. Maybe that house is right for someone. If you have to shoe-horn a product onto a customer, it’s a clear sign you don’t believe it in. To believe in what you are selling means to believe in the fit for your customer.

So, do you?

This week’s exercise: Look at the things you sell in your life. If you are a professional sales person who feels burned out, look at what you are selling. Do you believe in it? If you are working for someone else and you are trying to sell an idea, what is your motivation? Can you stand in complete integrity behind whatever product, service, idea, or concept you are selling to others? Think about it. If you need help, I’m always here.

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What Works Coaching
Diane Dye Hansen is the Chief Inspiration Officer of What Works Coaching, a business coaching and marketing services firm based in Carson City. She has 20 years of experience working with top corporations, growing businesses, motivated entrepreneurs, and individuals hungry for a fresh start. Diane holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Marketing from Cal State San Bernardino. She is also a candidate for a Master’s degree in Communications Management from the University of Southern California. Her column appears every Monday, and sometimes Tuesday, in Carson Now.