Myths, busted
Sales content is full of statistics nobody can trace. We follow the popular ones back to their source, and report what we actually find, including when a claim holds up.
Unsourced
Myth: "Only 3% of your market is buying right now" — a good idea with a borrowed number
Chet Holmes's buyer pyramid says 3% of any market is buying now. We looked for the data behind it and found show-of-hands polls, not published research.
Partly true
Myth: "B2B buyers are 57% through before they talk to sales" — a real study, stretched
The 57% stat comes from a real 2011 CEB survey of 1,500 buyers at big B2B suppliers. What it measured, what it did not, and what newer research says.
Misapplied
Myth: "A new customer costs five times more than keeping one" — the car-maker sum behind the slogan
The "5x" retention stat traces back to one US car maker's sums in the early 1980s. Here is what the source said and why the ratio will not fit your business.
Unsourced
Myth: "80% of sales are made on the 5th to 12th contact" — the follow-up stat nobody can produce
The famous 80% follow-up stat is pinned on a 1942 survey of under 40 people that nobody seems able to produce. What we found, and what to do instead.
Misapplied
Myth: "93% of communication is non-verbal" — what Mehrabian actually measured
The 7-38-55 rule is real research applied to the wrong question. Mehrabian himself says it only covers feelings and attitudes. Here's what it means in sales.
Unsourced
Myth: "the Rule of 7" — why seven touches is a rule of thumb, not a finding
The Rule of 7 says prospects need seven touches before they buy. We traced it to a 1990 marketing book and a Hollywood tale, and found no study behind it.