by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
When we think of DNA, we think of blood, cells and distinctive physiological make-up unique to each individual and it can’t be changed to make you better.
In sales, John Palumbo says, DNA stands for Desire, Natural abilities and Attitudes and it can be to make you a better salesperson.
“Sales DNA is something that is unique for each and every one of us,” said Palumbo a motivation speaker who was on the program at the Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Sales and Marketing Council last month at the University Center at University of North Florida.
“Your sales DNA is made up of the programming you received in the past, especially as a young child. If your sales DNA coding has set you in the wrong direction it can be changed,” said Palumbo, whose company is named Sales DNA Institute.
From his research, he says he has discovered that all top performers have the same ideologies, paradigms, attitudes and behavior.
“Top performers have a very unique way of bringing their message to the world,” he said.
What would you have to do to become like a top producer in your company?
“You just have to have the ability to think the way they do,” he said. “It’s not what they do. It’s not how they do it; it’s how they think that makes the difference.”
Another strategy is to find out why people buy.
“Once we understand why people buy, we can more effectively take care of them and sell them our products and services,” he said.
He said there are visible reasons that people buy, such as trusting the salesperson, liking the salesperson or believing they were getting a value.
Then he shared some invisible reasons people buy.
“They would say they were scared that they were going to lose it,” he said. “Or that everyone else was buying, so they joined in and bought or they wanted to keep up with their friends. We know that deep down inside, these are the reasons people buy.”
He explained that past negative perceptions of salespeople such as car salesman, door-to-door salespeople and others can have an effect on how successful you are as a salesperson.
“After 20 years of research, I’ve figured out that the only way to change the outer world is to first change the inner world,” said Palumbo. “Thoughts come from past programming. Our thoughts equal our feelings and how we feel when we get up each morning. Our feelings equal our actions and our actions equal our results. So, the way we think is the way our results end up on any given day. Our thoughts come from past programming. Where we’ve been determines where we are today.”
Palumbo offered a formula for sales DNA change.
He said you need have an awareness of exactly what your self-limiting belief is. Self limiting beliefs are beliefs that stop you from doing what you need to do to be successful.
“Understand your mental iPod has sent all the wrong messages about selling,” he said. “This is why you’ve been unable to implement some success strategies. Go back to when you were younger and write down your negative thoughts of salespeople and then drop it. I’ve seen people throw them away, burn the paper they are on and dissolve those old beliefs and replace them with new ones.”
Once you get it and understand your limiting belief, realize what it’s about and why it’s something you don’t want to use.
“Drop it and erase the limiting belief from your ‘hard drive’,” said Palumbo. “Replace the old limiting belief with a new piece of software and then reinforce the new belief often.”