The Myth of the ‘Natural’ Salesperson

Do I have to be a “natural” at sales to earn the big bucks? I’ve heard that question many times. Well, no matter how easy selling seems to be for you or some of the people you work with, the answer to the question is always a real big “No!”

None of us are born with any of the special skills it takes to succeed in sales.

The skills, traits and habits that help us succeed as salespeople are almost all learned skills and behaviors.

Try to remember that we all start out about the same: seven pounds with mush for brains. Every day after that, we grow and continue to develop until we stop learning.

The Naturals vs. the Regular People

Two real problems come up that affect both groups – the salespeople who think they’re just “regular” and those who think they’re one of those “naturals” or even “super-naturals.”

Too many people in sales (and in all walks of life) have convinced themselves that only the people born with charisma, or who can strike up a conversation with a tree stump, or whatever special talent they think that a “natural” might have, can make it in sales.

These individuals don’t try to improve because they don’t believe in their own potential. It’s a shame to see someone with great potential waste it and settle for just being pretty good.

But there is that side benefit for people who feel this way (or use it as an excuse): if they don’t try to succeed, there’s no risk, because they can’t possibly fail.

The opposite problem affects most of the so-called “naturals” in life, and especially in sales. Because they can charm the bark off a tree, too many people assume they’ve already arrived when you talk about success. “It’s so easy for me, I must be already as good as you can possibly be in sales.”

Because they have that perceived special advantage, or because they do have

those traits, these people could really hit the big time, but most of them don’t. They forget the real key to success, and that’s remembering this point:

Success is a journey, not a destination!

Many people are so overconfident in their abilities that they don’t develop the additional skills and habits that it takes to continually improve in sales year after year. It’s hard to watch someone with incredible potential stop growing and only develop one single skill: being able to pat themselves on the back with both hands at the same time. Remember:

A person who does not read is no better off than a person who cannot read.

Overall, the most successful people I’ve met in sales are just regular folks like you and me. They learned some, learned some more and just kept growing.

Do you remember the old story about the tortoise and the hare? If I recall it correctly, didn’t the tortoise win the race?