How to help your salespeople turn limiting beliefs into liberating truths

Friday Funnel Focus by EPOCH Sales Management Solutions

In our last article, “Best Advice Ever?”, we shared the importance of determination, grit and resilience. There may be no more important occupation for these traits than in a “hunting” salesperson.  We often talk about the importance of mindset and attitude in successful sales. Limiting Beliefs can have a major impact on the mindset and attitude of your sales team. 

This article provides you a guide for you to help your salespeople turn their limiting beliefs into liberating truths. We will review the following:

• What is a Limiting Belief?
• 16 Not So Sweet Limiting Beliefs in Sales
• What is a Liberating Truth?
• What are the steps to turn Limiting Beliefs into Liberating Truths?
• Eight Liberating Truths to grow elite salespeople

What is a Limiting Belief?

Limiting beliefs are beliefs that hold individuals back from achieving their full potential, often rooted in negative assumptions or self-doubt. David Sandler called it “headtrash”.

16 Not So Sweet Limiting Beliefs in Sales

Listed below are 16 Not so Sweet Limiting Beliefs in Sales. 

1. I’m not a natural salesperson.
2. Selling is pushy and dishonest.
3. It’s too difficult to sell in this market.
4. Sales is a solo effort.
5. We don’t need to adapt our sales approach.
6. The prospect will never pay for this.
7. Asking for referrals will annoy my prospects.
8. I can’t challenge my prospects.
9. I don’t have enough time to do X.
10. I’ll seem greedy if I ask for more during closing.
11. I’m a nuisance to buyers.
12. I’m not (smart, experienced, credible) enough to talk with C-level executives.
13. I can’t say no to prospects.
14. I’ll never get any better at this.
15. I can’t see myself doing this for long, so why bother?
16. Everybody else is doing better than me.

Sound familiar? 

Which ones are holding your salespeople back? 

What other limiting beliefs are you seeing?

What is a Liberating Truth?

This term comes courtesy of Michael Hyatt and his book, “Your Best Year Ever.” Liberating truths  can help individuals overcome their limiting beliefs. These truths empower individuals to challenge negative assumptions and achieve their goals.

What are the steps to turn Limiting Beliefs into Liberating Truths?

Let’s look at a process to turn those limiting beliefs into liberating truths. Again, these steps come courtesy of Michael Hyatt and his book, “Your Best Year Ever.”

• Recognize the limiting belief
  • Upgrading your thinking starts with awareness, so take a minute to reflect on what beliefs are holding you back.
• Record the belief
  • Jot down the belief. 
  • Be specific.
  • Writing it down helps you externalize it.
• Review the belief
  • Evaluate how the belief is serving you. 
  • What impact is this belief having on your sales?
• Reject or or reframe the belief
  • Sometimes you can simply contradict a limiting belief
  • Other times, you might need to build a case against it or look at your obstacles from a better angle.
• Revise the belief
  • Write down the new liberating truth that corresponds to old limiting beliefs.
• Reorient yourself to the new belief
  • Commit to living as if it’s true.

Eight Liberating Truths to grow elite salespeople

Listed below are eight sample liberating truths, consistent with a positive mindset of a successful hunting salesperson.

1. No matter the situation, I can always ask, “What does this experience make possible?”
2. By preparing to ask the best possible questions to understand the current situation, desired state, problems or obstacles in getting there and why they want to get there will show my prospects how much I care about them and their situation, leading to better sales presentations and more won deals.
3. God gave salespeople two ears and one mouth. I will always listen twice as much as I talk to make sure I hear what the prospect is telling me.
4. I will always seek to understand my prospect’s world so together we determine if there is a fit, shortening the sales cycle of open deals while allowing me to focus my time on deals we can win.
5. I will display an insatiable desire for knowledge and exploration, driven by an intense and unending curiosity while showing empathy and gaining a more clear picture of the situation to improve my presentation.
6. I can always learn more and grow as a salesperson while increasing my sales and income.
7. Helping my prospects and customers win will help me win.
8. I am the CEO of my sales responsibilities. I initiate my plans, I keep myself on task and I assume full responsibility for my sales successes and failures. These experiences teach me how to improve.

Now that you have the steps to help transform the mindset and attitude of your salespeople, when will you take action on a plan to help your salespeople transform their limiting beliefs into liberating truths.

PS What limiting beliefs are holding you back from transforming your salespeople? What will you do to turn your limiting belief into a liberating truth?

Want the Friday Funnel Focus Blog sent directly to you each Friday? 

We help small business owners scale their teams from themselves to 5 salespeople and beyond.

Schedule today a DISCOVERY consultation with David Wuesnch!

Do you struggle to find the right salesperson? 

You may not even know what is it that you want in a SUCCESSFUL salesperson.

If you struggle with this...

Download the DESIRED Salesperson Traits List!