In athletics, politics and other physical activities, the phrase "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" is often heard. The toughest are more likely to survive. Selling has the same kind of survival test, but the winners are not determined by the size of their muscles but by the use of their brains. The salesperson that can think clearly, is imaginative, and can act decisively hits the gold. The rest are the "runner ups". The English poet, Robert Southey wrote, "Ambition is an idol, on whose wings great minds are carried only to extreme; to be sublimely great or to be nothing." Most of us want to be as great as we can in our own sphere, but it cannot come without effort--the kind of effort that separates you from the huge graveyard of salespeople who could not cut it. But just cutting it is not enough, you must want to go higher. How do you accomplish this wisely? Think Clearly Let's take the matter of thinking clearly. If you're a sales professional, you are enmeshed in a series of complex relationships. Problems pile up every day as you try to satisfy your customers, your boss, and make a great living. There are no easy solutions and since you're a human being you might react negatively to frustration or disappointment. Instead of spending too much energy losing focus and worrying, try to think your way out of this maze. There's no key that will open the door to total freedom from selling stress, but there is a way to make sense of your business entanglements.

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The method involves sorting out your problems and finding a means to solve them. You can not go to sleep at night in the wishful belief that everything will be all right in the morning. It doesn't happen that way, does it? So you must examine even your worst troubles with the cold eye of a surgeon deciding what treatment is needed for a wound. You might even make a list of your business stress and roadblocks, underlining those that require special or immediate attention. You've been avoiding a past client or prospect because they gave the person who had the account before you a hard time. Are you going to put them on the shelf forever when they could become one of your biggest customers? There must be a way of selling them. Think about it. Talk to others about them. Perhaps you can work out a presentation that will bring them over--if you think about it enough.

Or maybe your scheduling system is fouled up. You have mentioned it but nothing has changed. If so, think about it this way: if the situation is a constant, what are my choices? Don't you feel it's time to take action? Now?

Imagination

In the Italian film "8 1/2", the hero, caught in a massive traffic jam on a hot day, imagines himself slipping out of his auto and floating high above the stalled cars. Real life isn't like that but his action represents the dream of many of us to escape annoying or painful situations. The same imagination can be employed to produce exciting and profitable solutions.

How do the most successful salespeople move their share of business through their pipeline? Through imagination! If they are big earners it's likely they are more imaginative than the others are.

Decisive Action

How decisively do you act? This is an almost sure indicator of the separation of salespeople from sales professionals. Many salespeople fritter away their opportunities because they can't make the right move at the right time. The chance slips by them, perhaps lost forever.

Taking decisive action applies to almost all matters of complaints. If a customer thinks there is something wrong, take action. Don't hem and haw for days while you make up your mind about what to do. Do it, even if there may be doubt in your mind about the legitimacy of their objection. They are a customer and deserve your immediate attention. The alternative is to have them as an ex-customer.

It Takes Stamina

It takes stamina for a long distance runner to finish the race, win or lose. They need lung and leg power. The salesperson must also have stamina. It's not the kind that comes with physical exercise (although that helps too), but the stamina that they need to beat off the myriad of blows that rain on them during just one day. If they can't survive this pounding they will ultimately leave the profession.

The stamina of a salesperson calls for a certain state of mind. They must accept the fact that selling is no bed of roses and that there are probably more heartaches in it than in most ways of earning a living. And when the bad days come they must be able to endure them in the knowledge that better ones are coming. Nor can they feel sorry for themselves. There are also more rewards in a salesperson's career and their daily contacts with people. They must be able to take their lumps without feeling that there is a worldwide conspiracy against them.

Don't Stop Growing

The salesperson must constantly seek to improve their selling techniques. Don't stop growing. Find new and exciting ways every day to refine your skills, please the buyer and raise your income. The "winners" in selling are those who never call it quits in improving themselves. They continually strive to overcome obstacles.

Napoleon once said: "Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools."

Another smart move is bringing another party with the right experience onto your team. Sales Focus Inc. has a host of services including: technical sales team development, developing effective sales pitches, building organizations that sell, tactical revenue generation plans for today, sales training for the non-selling professionals, VP-level and front-line sales management expertise, outsourced sales organizations, national field sales teams, sales plan development, sales management tool kits, client acquisition and retention plans, and sales recruiting.

We create repeatable and sustainable business processes designed to bring positive results in a short period of time.

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About Sales Focus Inc. Sales Focus Inc. is a consulting, training and outsourcing company that focuses strictly on sales. We help our clients during these difficult times to take business away from the competition. In down economic times, focused companies will not only survive, but also thrive! We offer cost containment and profit enhancement solutions. Profit enhancement is a different mindset than cost cutting. Cost cutting means doing less of something; profit enhancement implies doing more of something that will boost the bottom line. We represent the concept of focused profit enhancement solutions. Sales Focus is driven towards a single goal: "Generating Immediate Revenue for our Clients!" Whether it's implementing our S.O.L.D. Methodology, Developing Specialized Training Programs or Launching an Outsourced Sales Force, we remain focused on the goal of TACTICALLY GENERATING RAPID REVENUE.

For more Information or to see if we are a good fit with your company, contact us directly, 866.840.8305 or 410.442.5600, send us an email at info@SalesFocusInc.com or visit our web site: www.SalesFocusInc.com. Request a free white paper while calling us or visiting our website.

Sales Focus Inc. 3210 Florence Road, Suite B Woodbine, Maryland 21797 P. 410.442.5600 F. 410.442.5102 Toll Free: 866.840.8305 URL: www.SalesFocusInc.com

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