Most of you have seen or heard the famous quote from Henry Ford: Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.
It’s a doozy! Once you think it through it makes all the sense in the world. “That’s right! I can do anything I put my mind to. I got this!” It’s good. A really good reminder. Smart people would call it a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think you can, that’s the first step to accomplishing anything. Positive thinking.
Problem is, most people (including salespeople) flip it. They think the opposite. “I can’t do that. No way can I do that.” Funny thing is, they go out & prove it. They don’t do it. No way. Not a chance. You see it all the time. On the golf course: I can’t make this putt, too far. And, you prove it. Annual quotas: I can’t hit that number, too high. And you prove it. Work projects: I can’t finish this by the due date, not enough time. And, you prove it. I’ll never forget my 4th grade teacher telling me I was not a good & fast reader. I can’t read fast, too hard. And I prove it every single day.
Believing you can’t definitely works. Ok, so why won’t believing you can?
Why can’t we just flip our belief system? It’ll put our mind in the right place – it’ll give us a head start.
Here are the Top 10 Things Salespeople Say They Can’t Do – says them:
- I can’t ask a prospect for their budget or target price (or what they’re paying). They’ll never tell me. And, you prove it.
- I can’t go over Carl’s head & talk to his boss, he’ll get mad at me. And, you prove it.
- I can’t ask a prospect tough questions. It’s too uncomfortable. And, you prove it.
- I can’t meet with my prospects or customers. They don’t want to see salespeople, And, you prove it.
- I can’t stand up for what’s right for my company. The customer will get upset. And, you prove it.
- I can’t push back on a prospect or customer & only quote when the opportunity is qualified. They need it ASAP. And, you prove it.
- I can’t sell that much this year, it’s way too much. And, you prove it.
- I can’t ask my customers for referrals or introductions, they won’t give them. And, you prove it.
- I can’t stay in control of sales calls & the entire sales process, they are in control. And, you prove it.
- I can’t make that much money; my company doesn’t pay that much. And, you prove it.
Now, he said it in 1906 (113 years ago). That was a long time ago, & he probably doesn’t know what he’s talking about. . . but what would Henry Ford say?
