The source of success is in your head

In the opening scene of the TV series Lie to Me, we see the main character, a specialist in body language, interrogating a terrorist suspected of planting a bomb. The suspect, without giving any answer, gives the interrogator all the information he needs with gestures and body language. At the same time, despite his repeated denials, he proves that he’s guilty. The main character in the series is a specialist who recognizes people’s intentions by their behaviour, their posture, and their facial expressions. Experience shows that evolution has equipped us with this skill, even if we don’t realise it.

Sometimes what we want to hide is so visible that it speaks louder than words. Everyone has certainly dealt with a tired salesman who says ‘Hello, How can I help?’, and yet who makes it clear that he’s not having a good day at all, and though he’s greeting you, he’s doing so because he has to, and he doesn’t want to help. The sales process starts in our heads. That’s where we find our first - and often most important - success. And it’s usually there that the roots of our failures lie. Not in customers, not in the product, not in the market or the competition. The most important sales techniques are those that involve working with your own beliefs. What’s more, there are a surprising number of destructive beliefs that prevent salespeople from developing themselves and taking full satisfaction from their profession.