One of the most destructive beliefs that hinder a person’s development.
Over my 30+ year career, I’ve
presented hundreds, maybe even thousands of seminars, and interacted with tens
of thousands of salespeople. I’ve learned some things. One is this: That there are certain common
beliefs that prevent a person from getting the full value out of a seminar or
training program and ultimately hinder his/her performance. These beliefs
prevent a person’s development and lock him/her into habits that limit their
potential.
One of the most destructive beliefs
is often verbalized by the whispered comment from one participant to another,
“I knew that.” This typically follows
the description of a best practice that is proven to improve a salesperson’s
performance.
What the comment typically
means is that the person has heard about the
practice somewhere and affirms that he recognizes it as a good idea. And,
since that idea resonates, and since the person making the statement has some
knowledge of it, it then excuses him/her of any deeper dive into the practice.
If you have said that you “knew
it,” the truth is that you may have recognized the value of the practice
mentioned – you’ve heard that before. But your knowledge is almost always
superficial and lacking in some of the powerful components of the practice. You
probably, for example, haven’t fully appreciated the impact of this practice.
Here’s an example: One of the most powerful practices that I
teach is “ask better sales questions.” It
is the subject to one of my books (See Question
Your Way to Sales Success where ever books are sold) You may recognize that you have heard that
before. Therefore, you “knew that.”
But you probably didn’t know
the incredible impact that better sales questions can have on your performance. You probably didn’t know that it is the
number one most effective sales skill, mastered by the best salespeople regardless
of product, industry or selling situation.
You probably didn’t know the
details of how better sales questions impact the sales call, nor are you aware
of the specific places in the sales process where they are most effective.
You probably didn’t know what
constitutes a better sales question and you probably haven’t developed some criteria
to use to edit and improve your questions.
You probably haven’t mastered a
specific step-by-step process to create better sales questions.
You probably haven’t given any
thought to the two main areas of competence: First, creating better questions,
and second, using them more effectively.
And, since you know so little
about this powerful sales practice, you probably are not very good at it. When you manager talks with you about it, you
claim to have already ‘known it.” But,
when asked if you were “doing it, “you had to answer, “No.”
So, your response that you “knew
that” really means that you recognize the concept and have a superficial
knowledge of what it entails.
“I knew that” is destructive
because it gives you permission to not make any changes – it is an excuse that
absolves you of the responsibility to improve. It accepts superficial knowledge
instead of behavior-changing, career impacting practices.
It allows you to remain safely tucked into
your comfort zones and maintain the status quo by avoiding the hard work of
changing your behavior to improve your competence, fortify your confidence and
produce greater results.
In sales, and in many other professions,
you are not paid for what you know, but rather what you do. “I knew that” prevents you from doing better
– from making the changes that will bring you, and your company, greater value.
It is one of the most destructive
beliefs.
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