A few years ago when I bought my first motorbike, I subscribed to a discussion group which was also an informal club. Ah! It was an incredible feeling to be part of the biker community. After all, it?s very unique and hermetic. It didn?t last long. Somehow I didn?t fit their image of a real biker, who has grease on his hands, knows the whole construction of his machine by heart, knows which parts of a Polonez (an old Polish car) can be used as substitutes, always rides his bike fully dressed in a heavy protective outfit (even when it?s 30 degrees Celsius outside), wears a yellow reflective vest over this outfit and, of course, hates cagers (biker slang for car drivers). You ride wearing a T-shirt? Idiot. (BTW, I?ve had a chance to ride a bike in Florida a few times ? all idiots there. I didn?t see one person dressed in leather). You can?t fix a bike? Ignoramus. You don?t wear a reflective vest? Suicide. I could go on like that for ever… My group career was shattered. I logged out. I hate pigeonholing and killing people?s ability to make their own free choices. I love motorbikes. I enjoy riding them a lot. I usually ride alone. Sometimes someone joins me. That?s it.

But why am I writing about all that stuff? Because it?s often the same thing with sales. I read various Polish and foreign discussion forums. It really gets on my nerves when I notice one particular subject: You have to be born a salesperson. Sure! Let?s pigeonhole everyone straight away. You also have to be born a taxi-driver, an accountant, a plumber, IT administrator and so on. If it?s all so clear from the moment you?re born, then maybe we should have a special commission which would examine who can do what after they?re born. The next step would be the determining of one?s career-path. And that?s it. The die is cast. You?re going to be a salesperson!

But there are some innate traits, personality and the like, that predispose us (or don?t) to being a salesperson? ? someone could ask. Of course, there are. We shouldn?t forget about that. There?s our temperament, our set of preferred behaviours, etc. That doesn?t determine if you?re going to be a good salesperson or not (although it can make things a lot easier). A good salesperson isn?t a smiling, arrogant guy who talks a lot and enters through the window if someone closes the door ? although that is the picture a lot of people have. A good salesperson is a total contradiction of that image. It?s someone who can talk to a client. They can listen. They can adapt to the other person?s communication level, they adjust. If it?s necessary to speak ? they speak, if it?s necessary to be quiet ? they sit quiet. Can you learn this? You can. Will a weekend training or reading a book do the trick? It will help but it won?t be enough. What should you do then? Practice, practice, practice? Boring?

Good salespeople are also consistent in their actions, brave, self-confident, inquisitive, they know their self-worth?Oooooh?this is a lot more difficult?Can all this be learnt? It can. Will a weekend training be enough?? You know what I?m going to write?

Wait, wait? I can already hear it: you can?t teach people self-confidence; you can?t teach them to be inquisitive!

So I?m going to tell you a secret. Think about it for a moment. How would you know if someone is self-confident? The answer is simple. You can judge only by his behaviour, because you can?t see what?s inside. The posture, the tone of the voice, the gestures, the way they walk, the look in his eyes?And how would you know if someone is curious? Hmmm? They ask a lot of inquisitive questions, are surprised, wonder, make a focused face, frown, asks more questions, react vividly to the answers? Hey, you?re able to learn these things, aren?t you? If you?re still having doubts, I?ll answer for you. YES! You can.

Well, but isn?t this cheating? ? others will ask. ? It?s only pretending to be self-confident!

Two things. Firstly, it?s totally natural. Look at how animals behave in stressful situations. They puff their body up, ruffle their feathers, stand on their rear paws to seem bigger. The question is: is this really cheating or rather a survival strategy? If, by chance, you run into a person you hate in the supermarket ? what do you do? You smile, shake hands, ask how that person is doing? Cheating or strategy to survive an uncomfortable situation? A natural reaction.

Secondly, our behaviour influences the way we feel. If you start behaving like someone, who is self-confident or curious, you will start to feel this way. I guarantee this.

But remember. Everybody lies –  I?ve already written about this in my blog. Why should I be different? Don?t believe me if you don?t want to. I probably wouldn?t be able to convince you to change your mind anyway. But you yourself can surely do it. Try it out. If it doesn?t work 20 times ? call me and tell me I have no idea about this stuff and I talk bullshit. I won?t believe you anyway but (your) satisfaction is guaranteed? :)

So, if you believe deep down in your heart that ?you have to be born a salesperson?, then just crumple this belief into a little ball and throw it in the bin. Just remember ? sort the waste! Put it in the paper bin. It?ll be recycled. Maybe it?ll become a more useful belief, like: ?I can be whoever I want to be, whenever I want it. It all depends on my consistency, perseverance and passion?.

Although? if you feel OK with the old belief, you can keep nurturing it. You can stroke it and repeat each day: My precious, my precious? – as Gollum did in the Lord of the Rings. I won?t write how he ended up because most of you know already?

I?ve got a piece of good advice for you to finish with: The way we think influences what we do and how we act. What we do influences in turn the way we feel. You want to be a salesperson? Then be one, dammit. Don?t make excuses. You don?t want to be a salesperson? Don?t. It?s your choice.

* Pardon my language, I looked for another word but this described my emotions best. Maybe my mind is limited?