WHO ARE THE PLAYERS? 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 one who 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.

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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. You ought to start worrying plenty if you aren't trying 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.

The method involves sorting out your problems and finding means to solve them. You can't 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 almost in 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 lots of 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 won't hurt them), 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.

Salespeople's stamina 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. They must be able to take their lumps without feeling that there is a worldwide conspiracy against them.

Don't Stop Growing

Earlier I mentioned the hard salesmanship demanded in the selling of goods and services. I want to hit hard on the theme that the salesperson must constantly seek to improve their selling techniques. Don't stop growing. Find new 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."

About Sales Focus Inc.

Sales Focus is driven towards a single goal: "Generating Immediate Revenue for our Clients!" Whether it's implementing our Tactical Selling Methodology or Developing Specialized Training Programs, we keep the focus on sales. Or perhaps it's our Consulting Services, where we not only identify SWOT, but also offer clear manageable solutions. SFI can Launch a complete Outsourced Sales Force for you. In all cases, we remain focused on the goal of TACTICALLY GENERATING RAPID REVENUE. We focus on $ales!

For a complimentary copy of one of the following "Executive Briefings" call SFI at 410.442.5600 or email me, at info@salesfocusinc.com.

1.  "Building an Organization that Sells"
2.  "How to Motivate Your Team - Not Using Money"
3.  "How to Make 'Seminar Selling' Really Work"

Sales Focus Inc.
2205 Warwick Way, Suite 100
Marriottsville, MD 21104
P. 410.442.5600
F. 410.581.8306
Toll Free: 866.840.8305
URL: www.SalesFocusInc.com