- My customers only care about price. What can I do?
- No one has heard of our company. How can I compete?
- Our lead gen programs stinks. How can I wake Marketing up?
- My boss demands 50 calls/week. How can I change her?
- Our offering isn't really special. How can I win?
You Make a Choice
It's as simple as that. But it's not easy. Because when you make that choice, you fundamentally change your life.
I left a secure teaching job to go into sales. My colleagues expected me to come back after I realized the foolhardiness of my career change. In fact, they even suggested I take a leave of absence so my position would still be there.
I said no. I didn't want a safety net. I was scared to death. But I choose to succeed. It was hard work. The same thing happened to me again when my consulting business collapsed a few years ago. It was a painful time and I even thought of going to work for someone else. But I chose to stay in my business and figure out what worked.
You Refuse to Lose
In his book, The Real Secrets of the Top 20%, inside sales expert Mike Brooks talks about when he made "the choice." He was failing miserably in his sales job and hated it. Then one day he decided to quit this miserable profession.
But rather than going out a loser, he decided to show those who said he couldn't make it in sales, that he really could. So with his "up yours" attitude, he dug in to study and experiment with sales. Not only did he figure out how to meet his quota, but he exceeded it beyond his wildest expectations. I guess he showed them!
You See the Possibilities
Colleen Francis, a top sales trainer and author of Honesty Sells, talks openly about her choices too. In her first year of sales, she couldn't sell a thing. And she was hanging out with salespeople who had a million excuses for their mediocre performance. At one point, she even "owed" her company $12,000, money they'd advanced her as a draw.
Fortunately, she had a good boss who believed in her potential, knew she needed help and assigned a top pro to be her mentor. With his help, she saw what was possible and realized she could do it too. Suddenly, she started seeing impressive results.
You Pay the Price
As I said earlier, success is a choice. There are no ifs, ands, and buts about it. Once you do decide, then it's imperative to take action. When you finally care enough to make that success choice, it's not a cakewalk wither.
Here's what I do know for sure.
- You will not know always know what to do.
In fact, you may even be clueless. But the answers are out there. For example, you can: read a new sales book each month, sign up for sales newsletters, attend webinars or teleseminars, find yourself a mentor, ask your boss, talk to your customers.
- You will make really stupid mistakes. Guaranteed!
When I made one of my biggest bloopers, my irate prospect was so yelled at me at the top of her lungs right in the middle of the lobby. I was mortified and fainted dead away.
There's only one response when you do something stupid. Pick yourself up, choose to learn from the situation and move forward.
- You will ultimately succeed.
Most people give up way too easy. Sometimes, you won't succeed at your initial target, but what you learn along the way will prepare you for your next challenge.
There is no failure in sales. There are only multiple opportunities to learn what does and doesn't work. Again, you have a choice to learn or not. Don't tell me you'll try either.
As Yoda, the Star Wars Jedi master says, "Do or do not...there is no try."
Make the choice!