In our book, Go-Givers Sell More, John David Mann and I begin by discussing some of the fallacies and misconceptions associated with selling. The first is that people often think of sales as trying to convince someone to do something they don’t want to do (i.e., buy something they don’t want or need).

Of course, selling is exactly the opposite; it is finding out what someone does want or need…and helping them to get it.

But, this brings up a good question: “If someone wants or needs something, can’t they just tell you? I mean, are people so stupid that they can’t figure these things out for themselves?”

Actually, it has nothing to do with being stupid or smart. It has more to do with simply not necessarily knowing what is available and/or possible. That’s why part of a professional salesperson’s job is to educate, which is one of the six “things” we say salespeople provide within the selling process: time, attention, counsel, education, empathy and value.

Please understand that practically all of the helpful, useful and valuable inventions that today we take for granted first had to be sold to the public.

The brilliant 18th Century German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer is quoted as saying that “all truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident.”

In Part Two, we’ll look at how this plays out.