I read those words, I was missing success by a distance of 12 inches. That’s the distance from my head to my heart. For $50,000, IBM had taught me the intellectual side, the head side of selling. For $12.95 Zig Ziglar taught me the heart side of selling, the belief side of selling. Don’t get me wrong, you need both. However, I was missing the heart side. I discovered that I had been in sales for six years, but selling wasn’t in me. I think other salespeople experience the same feeling at times.
You see, I was trying to give away something I did not possess. That is, I was trying to transfer to my customers something I didn’t possess: confidence in myself and in my ability to help solve a problem. I did not possess confidence in myself and because of that I had no confidence in communicating how I could help someone solve his or her challenges. I believed it with my head but not with my heart. That's why both the will and the skill r vital for new salespeople.
This discovery made a HUGE difference. I felt better about myself, I felt better about the profession of sales. I truly believed that I deserved to be successful. I truly believed that I could add value to a person's business. I truly believed that I could positively impact the bottom line and increase productivity. Yes, I was missing sales success by 12 inches, the distance from my head to my heart. Once I completed that short distance I began to produce great sales results. If you are struggling with a similar issue, my desire is that you will also get serious about investing in your "deserve level." You deserve to be successful. You deserve to professionally represent your company and yourself in solving problems that your prospects experience. You deserve to be rewarded when you are successful in helping solve those problems.
There were two elements that contributed to my becoming an effective salesperson:
1 Learning my profession
2 Respecting my profession
Learning My Profession
You never graduate from selling. You are always growing. Successful salespeople invest in themselves by learning and studying their profession. There were a couple of things I learned from this. One, you should invest more in yourself than you do in your career. You should, no, you must, be a constant student. School is never out for the professional. Enroll in “Automobile University.” By that I mean use your car as a learning chamber. Listen to audio recordings that will not only give you a motivational lift, but will prepare you for your sales day, for your next sales call, for your trip home to the family. The reason I encourage you to invest in yourself is this: Personal growth precedes professional growth. Better people build better sales professionals.
Respecting My Profession
Selling is an honorable profession because selling is something you do with the prospect, not to the prospect. If the sales transaction is not mutually benefitting you and the prospect, then cease your selling activities, ask for a referral, thank the prospect for his or her time, and conclude the interview.
Let me give you an example. I was training new luxury car salespeople over a period of several weeks. I noticed one young man who was still struggling with the title of “car salesman” and with the challenge of working on straight commission. During class I asked if he would role play with me on three questions. I asked him to think of a client whom he had sold a car four or five months earlier. When he said he had one in mind, I then asked three questions:
1 Does the person still drive the unit you sold him? The answer was yes
2 Do you still have all the commission you made when you sold the car? The answer was no.
3 The last question: who got the best deal, you or the client? The answer was, of course, the client.
Because of the sales efforts of this young car salesman, the client will enjoy the value of the transaction for years to come. The car owner has a long-term benefit. The salesman has a benefit, but it is not as long-term.
I have the same question for you: when you sell your product or service, who gets the best deal? The answer is the client (I'll help you with the difficult questions...).
Take pride in the fact that you can positively impact the lives of your prospects. If you are a commissioned salesperson, you never get paid until you've helped some other person (your prospect) improve his or her life in some fashion. Yes, selling is a great profession!
During my sales training workshops I often ask the participants, "What do you like about the sales profession and what do you dislike about the sales profession?" The answers are then listed on a flip chart in the front of the room.
These are the answers I often receive:
| What I LIKE: | What I DISLIKE: |
| Freedom | Rejection |
| Working with people | Uncertainty |
| Solving problems | Pressure |
| Money | Stigma |
| Control my future | The ups and downs |
I then ask, "What is the common denominator between the two lists?" You will notice as you review the lists, there is not one policy, procedure, or product on either side. So, what is the connection between the two?
Here it comes. Are you ready? The connection is how the salesperson handles the emotional demands of the sales profession. That’s right. How you handle the emotional side of selling.
More so than any profession, sales professionals move on emotions.
Here is an example. Let’s compare the accounting profession to that of sales. I admire accountants because I don’t have an analytical bone in my body. I can’t do what an accountant does. (Do you know what I do when my bank book doesn’t balance? I change banks!) How long is the reporting period for an accountant? A month? A quarter? A year? How long is the reporting period for a salesperson? Every door knock, every handshake, every phone call. Our reporting periods come fast and furious. We are going to hear the word “no” more often than other professionals. We will have more opportunities to fail than other professionals. Therefore, we must be emotionally stronger than other professionals.
One of the many reasons I love selling is that success doesn’t depend on the color of your skin. It does, however, depend on the thickness of your skin. When you became a salesperson, you accepted the chance of hearing “no.”
Here is the key: you don’t have to like everything about selling to be outrageously successful. That’s right. You don’t have to like every aspect of selling to succeed. I find that statement to be liberating. You don’t have to like all the activities associated with selling. But you do have to perform them.
As you progress through your sales career, you have to continually evaluate yourself, your skills, your attitudes, and your growth. Do not fall into the trap of “beating yourself up.” Salespeople are famous for holding themselves to unreachable standards. Yes, you need high standards. However, you need realistic standards. Give yourself permission to be successful. You have to stop being critical of yourself when you stop being fair to yourself. Do not unfairly criticize yourself. Loosen up! Relax! Remember, angels fly because they take themselves lightly.
It will be helpful for you to familiarize yourself with the following terms used throughout the book.
