Here’s a question I have been asked and answered several times. “Are good salespeople born or made?”
What a great question.
Psychologists have been arguing for years about the interaction between nature and nurture and the importance of these twin factors on your ability to achieve (or not) in your life. They will probably be arguing for many, many more. In my experience, as a sales motivational speaker and sales author, there is no easy answer to this question…
First off, I would have to agree that some salespeople seem to be more naturally suited to the job than others. Whether due to their genes, their upbringing, their education or their family and friends, by the time they reach maturity some people find selling much easier than others. Luckily for this group, they may be “naturally” more curious, better at building relationships, more resistant to rejection and more able to get their message across.
But nature isn’t everything. As my Mum used to say, “It’s not about what you were lucky enough to be born with, it’s what you do with it that counts.”
Different types of sales situations require different characteristics and different skills. And an individual good at instant results, door to door sales may well not excel in a complex solution selling situation lasting many months and years and with complex decision making processes. For this reason, moving from one sales position to another in different markets may see your natural traits becoming of more or less use to you. What’s more, sales skills are most definitely made and not born. Babies are most definitely not born with an ability to understand buying drivers or complex needs. This understanding comes from application, focus and commitment to being a professional salesperson.
In the argument about nature or nurture, born or made, it ultimately comes down to one thing…
How much do you want it?
It may well be that some people are naturally more people oriented than you. It might well be that some people are naturally more robust and resilient to rejection than you. It may well be that some people leap to their feet and make confident presentations first time out of the gate. That’s just the luck of the draw and all it represents is where you are right now. If you want to succeed at sales then you need to forget how you are now, you need to stop making excuses for your personality, your upbringing and your skill set and you need to set your mind to learning and developing the skills and attributes that you need to be a successful sales professional.
As Will Smith says in “The Pursuit of Happiness”, “Don’t ever let somebody tell you…you can’t do something. You got a dream..you gotta protect it.”
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About Gavin Ingham
I agree that genius are born! but the moment it comes to sales and marketing, the things are totally different.
It is as how you could know that you are going to be a sales or marketing person? It is hardly a case that we dream to be a sales person! We aspire to be scientist, or engineer, may even a good teacher. But selling product never comes from in born nature.
You have to come across the company who sales or markets product. Then you can gain the product knowledge without which you cannot sale anything.
How many of us are born with ancestral business? If it is that case, you are going to become the CEO or the MD.
Are you going to take the responsibility to marketing? I don't think so. If you are to do it, your elders are going to give you the product knowledge, isn't it?
Great blog and an interesting post. I was reading an article regarding Will Smith the other week – a fellow dinner guest said to him, " I admire your work" and went on to say that he considered him as a positive inspiration to lots of people. Will Smith thanked him heartily and went on to say, "it's been easy for me – I'm black"
The guest asked him to explain this rather extraordinary point of view, he replied, "ever since I was a boy I have made extensive use of the power of perspective. In any situation I look for a truthful but highly selective way of thinking that makes me feel positive and gets me excited about making things happen"
What a guy!