Perception Is Everything: As a Salesperson, Your Social Skills Can Open Doors-Or Slam Them Shut

Silcox, Beth Douglass, Success

You've been selling all your life.

Remember giving Dad your best sales pitch to borrow the car? Then you bundled up your qualifications, crossed some fingers and hoped your potential new boss would "buy." Truth is, even your love life depends upon someone's perception of you, on your ability to connect socially and ultimately "sell" the entire package.

The same holds true for business sales. Cold calling a prospect is much the same as asking for a dinner date. Success or failure comes down to perception and presentation. Granted, prospects aren't expecting any sort of romantic spark, but they do measure salespeople, rightly or wrongly, by their impressions. "In the eyes of the observer, perception is reality. The observer believes that what he or she sees is real," says Gary Hankins, author of The Power of the Pitch.

The difference between a …

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Publication information: Article title: Perception Is Everything: As a Salesperson, Your Social Skills Can Open Doors-Or Slam Them Shut. Contributors: Silcox, Beth Douglass - Author. Magazine title: Success. Publication date: February 2011. Page number: 48+. © 2009 Success Magazine. COPYRIGHT 2011 Gale Group.

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