by Lee Salz
Over the weekend, I heard the old joke about the guy who wanted to win the lottery. Every week, he would look up at the heavens and plead his case to win millions. After several weeks of begging, the skies opened up and the man was told… If you want to win the lottery, you have to buy a ticket.
In my travels working with salespeople, I often hear laments that sound much like the man in the old joke.
“I want to be better at prospecting…at getting meetings…at closing.”
The list goes on and on. When I ask these sales people what they are doing to make themselves better, there is a moment of silence followed by explanations of how they are working harder. In essence, their approach to improving themselves is working harder. I’m all for more sales activity, but that doesn’t improve skill proficiency.
My good friend, Jeb Blount, author of People Follow You, refers to salespeople as the athletes of the business world. I love the concept yet sales people don’t commonly approach their roles as athletes do. If a basketball player isn’t satisfied with in-game performance, he works on technique with his coaches at practice. He watches video to see where he may be going awry. He doesn’t just say, “I’ll take more shots in the game,” which is the common salesperson mindset.
Want to be a superstar salesperson? You have to dedicate time every week toward making yourself better. Pick an area where you want to improve and take action! Research it. Read about it. Talk with your manager about it. Discuss it with colleagues. Do that and your weaknesses quickly become strengths.
Think back to last week. What did you do to make yourself a more effective sales person this week? If you don’t like your answer, do something about it right now! Success is in your control.
