I want to help you see and achieve the sales success you didn’t think was possible. Combine these four things and you’re going to be well on your way to achieving success in sales.
1. Discipline and focus
The best salespeople in the world are incredibly disciplined with their time and incredibly focused on their objective.
They know exactly who they’re dealing with and what their objectives are. They have laid out their plan, and are strict with their time. In fact, they’re willing to do things that the average performer will not.
A top performer does the tasks that others don’t want to do—making prospecting calls, staying late, working longer, being more diligent with their time. They get more done in the day because of their time management.
2. Commitment to understanding the customer.
The key to achieving success in sales is understanding the needs of the customer. I can have all these names I want to contact, but until I understand their needs, forget it.
How can I put a solution on the table until I understand their needs?
This is why it’s number two, because discipline and focus gives me the time and the process to be able to spend more time with the customer to truly understand their needs.
The average salesperson races forward and never understands the needs of the customer, and then wonders why they can’t close deals.
On the other hand, when you’re achieving success in sales, you can’t even think about proposing or putting anything on the table about the product or service until you understand their needs.
3. Who you associate with
We become the average of the five people we associate with the most. Jim Rohn said that line years ago, and I firmly believe that.
As I look back over my career, the times that I’ve been absolutely successful, I’ve been surrounded by great salespeople. We lift each other up. Other times I’ve struggled and I look back and I realize, that’s because I wasn’t around top performers. I was around low, even average performers.
This is why top performers always have a peer group they can reach out to and connect. You have to be absolutely careful about who you associate with, and if they’re not a top performer, you don’t have time for them.
Spending time with other top performers is going to lead you to better answers, better questions, better ideas as to how to understand your customer better.
4. Where you draw your strength
This is often your faith, your personal faith, your belief system. For me, it’s my belief in God; it’s my walk with Jesus.
Some of you might be getting a little bit squirmy, but here’s why I say this. My faith is my anchor. Now, you may not choose that. You may choose something else, but you have to have a belief system.
Being in sales, even if you’re disciplined and focused, even if you’re hanging out with the right people, it’s still rough out there. Every top-performing salesperson I deal with has a very strong faith.
Yes, there are going to be highs, there are going to be lows, and it’s your belief system that anchors you.
It’s your belief system that allows you to start the day off right. My personal faith is something I start off with each day—combined with my exercises—and it’s made me the man I am today.
Happy Selling,
David
