Here's a fact about sales...
Millions of people wake up every morning to go out and earn
a living through sales. At the end of the day, the vast
majority of these people return home having sold... NOTHING.
Sounds crazy, doesn't it?
Every one of these sales pros had great expectations of
making a sale, earning a commission, of enriching their
lifestyle and growing their income. What they didn't know
was how to... SELL WELL.
If you've ever witnessed the revolving door of many sales
positions (people come, people go) then you also know that
many of the companies and sales managers don't necessarily
care if you truly succeed or not.
If you fail, then they bring in the next person in line who
will make a couple of sales before quitting. And it keeps
going on like this.
Pretty disgusting, if you ask me. It's purely a greed
mentality on the management's part. There's no real
leadership, no team building, no strengthening of skills.
Now, it may sound like I'm saying "bah, humbug!" to sales.
I'm actually just highlighting an ugly fact about parts of
the sales industry.
To be fair, sales is a richly rewarding, exciting, and fun
profession. Some of the richest people in the world have the
wealth that they do because of their ability to sell.
What I'm trying to get at is that whether or not your sales
manager or company cares about your success or not, your
success in sales is largely your responsibility.
Think of a top athlete. Their coach can only help them get
so far. It's up to the athlete to push themselves so they
score that one extra point, jump that one inch higher or
whatever the case may be.
For a top athlete, victories aren't forged on the gamefield,
they're won in practice.
If you make a living in sales, then start thinking of
yourself as a Sales Athlete. The more you practice and hone
your skills the more deals you will close and the richer you
will become.
Be awesome,
Blair
