Quote of the Week

In every true profession there is a need, in fact a mandate, for continuing education. Engineers, doctors and attorneys must all participate in on-going training.

Sales professionals, true sales professionals, although not mandated to continually train themselves, do so anyway. Check this quote out...

"Sales professionals more than any other profession need consistent, relevant and inspirational information to maintain long-term success." (I came up with this one...)

If you've been in the sales training business than you know this is a true statement. Not just training other companies (like my group does), but training within your own organization. Let's pick this quote apart and prove it out:

1. Sales professionals... Selling is a profession. Just like there are bad docs and bad lawyers, there are bad sales people, but make no mistake, there are individuals that are not only making big money selling, they are big business people too. Their skills continue to grow and they could do almost anything in their company, they just happen to sell.

2. More than any other profession... Is there any doubt that sales professionals are experiencing more rejection than in any other career? Nope. For this purpose alone training, and just gathering to experience training, is a necessity. In the training environment attitudes are refreshed and confidence is restored because like experiences are shared. These are the times that provide validation. Validation of the company, the product, the service and the self-worth of the sales professional.

3. Need consistent, relevant and inspirational information... Consistent because it's always needed, relevant because it must be valuable to the trainee and inspirational because when most people are inspired and they add their own positive attitude and strong work ethic, results are met.

4. To maintain long-term success... Anyone can be successful initially or for a short period of time. Long-term success is different. It is obtained over the business cycle (ups and downs) which weed out average individuals.

My company is built on this quote... it defines what we are doing for sales professionals all around the country.

TK

Quote of the Week

As we head towards the end of the year I wanted to focus on some of the greatest thinking ever produced on the topic of personal excellence. Years ago, Napoleon Hill wrote "Think and Grow Rich," and ever since then, successful people have used the concepts shared by Hill to achieve greatness.

Here's the granddaddy of them all...

"Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve."

Others have elaborated on this concept over the years and each has done their best to clarify Hill's original idea; however, as with many things, the original is the best.

No matter what you do, if you can create an idea in your mind, and repeatedly focus on it, you can make it happen.

As 2006 winds down and 2007 comes around it's time to determine if 2006 was as good as it can get. If not, remember that whatever outcome you can create in your mind... you can make happen.

TK

Quote of the Week

Hey check out our new feature called “Quote of the Week.” In no other profession other than sports and politics are quotes so prevalent than selling.

So here is the first quote with a little commentary to keep the post at a respectable length. It comes from the most irreverent sales gurus Jeffrey Gitomer. In his book the Little Red Book of Selling Gitomer threw this gem out:

“The more you watch TV the more the competition will kick your ass.”

You’ve got to love the directness don’t you? The only way you wouldn’t, or think the contrary, would be if you were a couch potato posing as a sales professional.

Just to clarify, I watch television. I watch Meet the Press, 60 Minutes, Studio 60, Lost and every college football game I can during the week. Thanks to TIVO, I can watch the first four programs whenever I want to and without neglecting my “familia” obligations.

College football is different… when it’s on, it has to be watched!

Back to the quote – Gitomer, master of the eloguent statement nails the challenge many people struggling in sales are facing. When you watch ESPN and the same game is recapped more than once, you're watching too much television. If you watch the local news in your hometown, your watching too much television. "What about the local weather, I have to know if it's going to rain tomorrow!" Check it out... http://www.weather.com/.

Television isn't the only challenge salespeople face. It could be going to the movies in the middle of the day, going to the mall in the middle of the day or any other non-productive endeavor. If you're doing it during selling time, your bound to get crushed by the competition.

If you watch television or do other non-productive matters when you should be making yourself into an "industry expert" then again, you deserve to get crushed by the competition. Anyone willing to do more and become more deserves to kick your butt.

Tom Hopkins once wrote that "selling is the highest paid hard work-and the lowest paid easy work..." You can't sum up the income opportunities provided by selling better than that statement.

Stop watching and start selling. Stop watching and start learning.

TK