We all know that sales is no place to get your needs met. But some of us are wired where we want to be liked more than we want the sale.
That can really goof you up! The need for approval is a major, major weakness.
If you want to be liked more than you want the sale, you’re not going to be willing to ask the tough questions. You’re not going to stand firm. You may end up losing focus and saying, “Sure, we can do that!” When really, you can’t do that, or at least you can’t do it very well.
When your need for approval is in the way, you’re very likely to make excuses. You’ll blame the prospect instead of taking responsibility for your own actions. You’re not very likely to take ownership.
You’re also very unlikely to share something that you perceive is bad, or even just expensive. Many times, you may think something is expensive. But if you mention the amount to your prospect, they may say, “Well, that’s not bad.”
When you struggle to share the price of investing in your product or service, it shows a huge need for approval. You really want them to say, “Wow, that’s an awesome deal!” But you can get in the way of that, because you assume they won’t think that. We think they won’t want to do business with us, so you don’t share the price. Or even worse, you lower your price.
The key is to remember that you’re not the answer for everyone. As much as you would like to be, you’re not. Accepting that and being okay with that is the first step to getting over a need for approval.
