Mark McGraw sits down again with Josh Pitchford to break down the 7 biggest lies that keep salespeople stuck—and how to replace them with a winning mindset. They discuss ways to qualify better, protect your pricing, and stop wasting time on unwinnable deals.
To find our handout for this episode, click here.
Tune in to hear what really drives buyers to say yes and how to overcome the 7 lies most struggling salespeople tell themselves.
- Mark and Josh break down the 7 biggest lies salespeople tell themselves.
- #1 Lie: My job is to educate the prospect
- Mark and Josh both agree—your job is not to teach buyers. They’ve already done their research. Your job is to qualify them. If you must give away information, get something valuable in return.
- #2 Lie: I have to win every deal.
- Salespeople are super competitive, and they believe every deal is winnable. According to Josh, not every deal is worth your time. Smart sellers focus on winnable deals.
- Mark says time is like ammo. If you chase every deal, you’re wasting ammunition shooting at the wrong targets, so pick your battles wisely.
- #3 Lie: I have to discount in order to win
- Mark explains how a 10% discount can mean you need to sell 50% more to break even.
- For Mark, discounting is lazy—it’s the easiest thing for buyers to evaluate your deal. If you’re always competing on price, you’re losing.
- Learn how to handle price objections like a pro.
- Sellers need to set price aside and focus on real value. You can win on price, but you can also lose on price because there will always be other sellers willing to go lower than you.
- #4 Lie: It’s a Bad time to call.
- Salespeople love to justify not making calls. But Mark and Josh agree that there’s never a bad time to reach out.
- Instead of sitting there justifying to yourself why it's not a good time to call, develop a mindset where you believe that it’s always a good time to call.
- #5 Lie: I’m not ready.
- Josh shares a Sandler rule: It’s not how I feel that determines how I act—it’s how I act that determines how I feel. You’ll never feel ready. The secret is to take action first, the confidence will follow.
- If you struggle with taking action, start small. Tiny, achievable goals make taking the next steps easier. Over time, this builds confidence and makes you unstoppable.
- #6 Lie: I have to do everything the buyer asks.
- Mark warns against being a "sales golden retriever"—fetching everything a buyer asks. Buyers don’t just want a friendly sales rep, they want someone who brings real value.
- Josh believes that buyers don’t need to like you to buy from you. They need to respect you because you bring value.
- Mark and Josh talk about relationships and why salespeople need to stop trying to be the buyer’s best friend.
- Value trumps relationships 9 times out of 10.
- #7 Lie: People buy on logic, not emotion.
- People think they buy on logic. But Mark and Josh agree that every purchase starts with emotion. Logic just justifies the decision later.
- Learn how to trigger emotions and close more deals.
- Josh explains why sales is about qualifying, not convincing. If you spend all your time trying to win every deal, you’ll burn out fast.
- Every deal you chase has an opportunity cost. Mark and Josh explain why spending time on the wrong deals can mean losing the right ones.
- Josh covers why you need to stop wasting time on dead-end prospects.
Mentioned in This Episode:
BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/follow
Sandler.com
BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/sandler
Josh Pitchford on LinkedIn
BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/14
