"I can't sell because ___"

In my latest video on the Close.io blog I talk about this thing that drives me nuts. It's statements like these, and I hear them all the time from all kinds of people: "I can't succeed in B2B sales because I'm too young, and people don't take me serious." "I can't succeed in B2B sales because I'm too old, and people think I'm out of the loop." "I can't win this deal because our company isn't established enough." "We can't get anyone to buy from us because our product isn't ready yet." "I can't sell because I don't have enough experience in this industry." "I'm not a good salesperson because I'm not a smooth talker." "I can't sell our product because the people who benefit the most from it are so stuck in their old ways, they're not even open to the idea that there could be a better way." "I can't sell our product because the people who benefit the most from it have already heard of our product so many times over the years and think we're this outdated dinosaur in the industry. They all want one of the hip new solutions." "I can't sell because at our company we're not using the absolutely best sales CRM with integrated calling there is, so I just feel sad every time I make a sales call." Alright, that last one I made up 😁(But all the other ones, and about 500 more, I've heard many, many times...)  Here's a simple truth: You'll never have the perfect conditions for sales success. You'll always be dealing with obstacles and disadvantages. And it's true, sometimes you'll have to manage "heavier" disadvantages, but the same principle applies: You can turn every disadvantage into an advantage.  And a lot of this is more about what you do internally, in your own head, than anything external. Your creativity and your mindset are the most valuable resources at your disposal. In my latest blog post, I'll share how to use them, with some specific examples in the context of sales when you're disadvantaged in one way or another. Go get'em! Steli PS: Speaking of disadvantages—when I moved to the US to set up my own startup—I had an abundance of disadvantages. My command of the English language was, well... let's call it "barely minimum viable". With a very weird accent, I sounded like a Greek-immigrant Swabian German who was really into hiphop. I had no real experience with startups, other than this outlandish idea I've been working on for a couple of months from my laptop. I wasn't an IT guy—I had just recently mastered the art of typing with ten fingers (instead of just my two index fingers). I didn't know anyone in the US, other than a far-removed older relative who lived somewhere in Middle America. I was naive af when it came to business (just a few months prior, I spent a bunch of money to buy some business planning software, and thought I had it all figured out: a clear path to building my very own multi-billion dollar startup that would change the world). But you really can turn any disadvantage into an advantage. Years later, we started a little company where we'd offer "sales people on demand". Now all we did was call up startups and pitch them on the idea. They didn't know us. They've never heard of our company. We didn't have any other customers. We didn't have a website or logo. And we asked for money upfront. But people bought.  This eventually scaled into an operation that was doing outsourced sales for more than 200 venture-backed startups in the Bay area. I could go on and on telling you real-life stories of myself and others turning disadvantages into advantages in business, and more specifically in sales. But this is already a much longer email than I send you usually, and if you've read this far, you really should check out my latest post where I share actionable advice for turning your specific disadvantages into advantages that help you succeed in sales.

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