Victory for any salesperson is closing deals and achieving the goals to buy things including a lifestyle for themselves and their family. For many, sales offers a life of personal growth and development. Probably the most difficult of all tasks is being great at human relations. This is why great salespeople make millions.
When victorious you feel great about what you doing. If you are struggling, the profession can be daunting and you may be considering another profession. So here are a few things to keep in mind if you aren’t where you want to be in your career in sales:
1) Success does not come from one “one big hit”, it comes from consistency. That is, it comes from consistent behaviors to generate leads. That results in consistency in results. So you must get up every day and “work your plan” – no procrastinating – you can do it!
2) Sometimes when you are succeeding, it may feel like you aren’t. Sales results come from a lot of planting seeds. Things take time to grow, so be patient, but persistent.
3) Support from your family is important. If you don’t have that, find a way to get it.
4) No one, no matter how much they brag about it, really works 80 hours per week -you can’t either, take a break, do something for yourself frequently.
5) The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Related to that is something Dave Sandler said, “If your foot hurts, you’re probably standing on your toe!” It means that if some of your techniques seem to backfire or make YOU very uncomfortable, you may be doing something wrong. Get some good training at your craft and give up things that are stopping you from doing that. Victory in sales is not so much about how hard you work; it’s more related to working smart!
6) Remember “You have the right to lunch once you’ve paid the price”. When you have a success reward yourself, share it with family so that they may enjoy it too and support your career in sales.
7) If you “go higher in the food chain”, let people know who you are inside. You’ll find that integrity goes a long way even if you aren’t the best with your words. People want to able to count on you to do the right things. Unfortunately, most salespeople can’t be counted on – and that’s coming from a sales trainer – me! A sales course can’t teach you that really and “looking in the mirror” can be hard sometimes. Personal growth is never comfortable but if you’re comfortable all the time, you may not be growing. Think about that.
In 1995 a fellow by the name of Jim Berry was referred to me for training. He was unhappy as we wasn’t making money in sales. Yet, he was committed to changing that. So, he enrolled in one of our on-going courses. Over six months he went from making $35K to 85K then within a year he was making $135K. He went through many uncomfortable changes; he lost friends, but made new ones. His sales effectiveness grew due to determination, practice and commitment to goals he had set in the training. He got so strong; he’s now in charge of 15 salesmen. He’s still a client, now in our Sales Managers’ program, because he wants to continue to grow. This week he attended a workshop and said to the group, “This stuff will make you uncomfortable, but if you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not growing.” I love people like that. Maybe you’re one too!
Greg Nanigian is CEO of Greg Nanigian and Associates, affiliate Sandler Training. They train skills to close more deals and book more appointments. Contact Greg Nanigian at 781-848-0993 or greg@gnatraining.com or visit www.gnatraining.com.