Sounds like the title of a book, doesn’t it?  Selling is a mystery to most salespeople.  Not that they haven’t sold, but most have never reached their full potential.  Herein lies the mystery; these salespeople have no idea what they are capable of achieving and they will never know their ability until they learn the principles of sales and challenge themselves to apply them.  If a salesperson doesn’t know or understand a sales principle, in their mind it doesn’t exist.  If it doesn’t exist they won’t be looking for it and therefore will never discover it.  The mystery of selling applies to every aspect of life, i.e. you don’t know what you don’t know.

Salespeople can absolutely improve their performance and reach new benchmarks in their performance.  However, they must have a desire to improve and a belief that greater performance is possible.  They cannot be content with current or past performance and expect to do better.  There must be a purpose so profound in their life that they would be willing to do what they previously believed was impossible.  Here are some key words which cause salespeople to discover the mystery of selling: attitude, belief, desire, knowledge and purpose.

A whopping 40% of sales success is a function of attitude.  You can learn the importance of attitude, but you cannot acquire it from an external source, it must come from within.  Only you can determine your attitude.  You can be influenced from many areas and directions, but only you are responsible for your attitude and how you will respond.  Attitude impacts every aspect of one’s life and has a particularly profound influence in the life of a salesperson.

Belief is a huge motivator.  You won’t take action unless you believe.  If you believe you can do something, you will take action to achieve it.  Belief is influenced by knowledge and attitude.  Salespeople need to pause and ask themselves, “What do I believe”.  If you believe you are capable of achieving more in sales, you probably will.  The actions of others can also significantly influence one's belief.  We are all familiar with the simple words, “show me”, which suggests if you can see it you can do it.

Desire, similar to attitude, is an internally generated key to unlocking the mystery of selling.  True, there can be external sources that fan the flames of personal desire, but if it doesn’t reside within you, there is nothing to fan.  Salespeople should take the time to ponder the desires of their hearts and be grateful they have the freedom and potential to achieve much more than people working in other careers.

Knowledge can be acquired by anyone if only they have the desire.  Knowledge is everywhere and is not difficult to obtain.  We live in the knowledge generation with the opportunities to learn almost too numerous to mention.  There is no knowledge under heaven that cannot be found somewhere on the worldwide web.  Every moment of every day should be a learning experience.

Purpose is composed of that innermost feeling and emotion which drives you to do and be what you are.  When you discover your purpose, and there can be many, you will be willing to take the action necessary to accomplish great things in your life.  As a salesperson, having discovered purpose in your life, you will take the actions necessary, however painful and difficult, to achieve your goals because the achievement of the goals will fulfill your purpose.  Pause and take an inward look into your life.  What do you want for yourself and those you love?  If the purpose is great enough, you will form the attitude that will foster your belief, which will fan your desire to gain the knowledge to be able and willing to do the things you have never done before to achieve the purpose in your life.