Develop your Potential

It’s possible that being a Salesperson isn’t really your “calling” in life.  Possibly you’re only doing this until something else becomes available.  That’s fine except don’t allow that to be an excuse to be “average” or just be good enough to get by.  Whatever you do in life, make the commitment to become the very best that you can become.  In other words, become a Master of your Craft.  I’ve met a ton of Salespeople that have been in Selling for 5 or 10 years however they don’t have 5 or 10 years experience.  They only have 1 year’s experience 5 to 10 times over.  Unfortunately somewhere around the end of the first year they quit growing and stopped learning and fell into a comfort zone.  In fact, they’re still using the same Words and Phrases that have been around the Sales profession for so long and they’ve been so over-used and abused, that they actually turn Prospects and/or Customers off.

Those of you who have either met me or know of my background realize that my Mentor shared with me that if I studied any one Subject one hour a day, 5 days a week, within 5 years I would be a World Expert in that one Subject.  I picked Selling and more particularly, Communicating, Negotiating, and Selling over the Phone.  Here are the shortcuts that I did during that one hour a day.

[1]  First, become a Tape or CD Junkie.  Start listening to every Cassette Tape or CD you can about Selling, Negotiating, Communicating, Listening, Speaking, etc.  It’s been proven that we absorb up to 95% of a spoken word, which is heard 16 to 21 times.  Of course if you prefer reading, please do.  The key is to be willing to learn at least one new skill, technique, choice of words, or idea each and every day.

[2]  Second, start brain-picking top Sales Pros.  Call a different Company each day that advertises any type of Investment and ask to speak with their top Broker.  Pretend that you are a Prospect and have them Qualify you, make a Presentation, and even handle your Objections.  Listen and learn from their delivery, enunciation, pronunciation, pacing, skills, techniques, choice of words, attitude, etc., even if it’s what not to do.  

[3]  Third, Tape and Critique at least one Phone Call a day.  This is the fastest way possible to become a Super Star in record time.  Listen and identify just one thing that you could have done better and write it down on an Improvement List to keep on your Desk.  On every Call, try to improve on that one item.  When you listen to your next Tape, again identify just one item and add it to your List.  After several days you’ll discover that you have improved dramatically in at least one of the areas so you can draw a line through that item.  This becomes a never-ending List of items that you are consciously working at improving on a daily basis.