Treat Your Sales Career Like a Business

If you've been in selling very long you've heard of Brian Tracy. Guaranteed. Brian is one of the most respected personal development trainers in the world. His ideas and experiences have changed the lives of thousands of individuals.

As I've mentioned before, selling is such a unique field, if you jump into the arena you need constant, relevant and inspirational training on a consistent basis.

I recommend Brian Tracy be a major source of inspiration. One of the best quotes I've ever heard came from Brian - here it is:

"The top people in our society have an attitude of self-employed. 100% of us are self-employed. We are presidents of our own personal services corporation. You work for yourself. The biggest mistake we can ever make is to think we work for anyone else. We work for ourselves. The person who signs our paycheck may change; our jobs may change, but we are always the same. We are the one constant--we are always self-employed.

The fact of the matter is this is not optional, it is mandatory, you are the president of your own company, you're the president of your own career, your own life, your own finances, your own body, your own family, your own health. You are totally responsible. We are responsible. No one will ever do it for us. It's the most liberating and exhilarating thought of all, to think that you're the president of your own life."

That's good stuff.

So Mr./Ms. President - how are you doing? Would the stakeholders in your "company" retain your services in 2007? Do you have a pay raise coming or a pay cut looming? Stock options? Bonuses? How do you treat your sales career - are you running it like it's a business the entire business world would emulate? What if CNBC followed you around tomorrow from the time you woke in the morning until you ended business... would people be impressed, or would they be laughing on the floor?

In selling, many people quickly learn that autonomy is not for everyone. Everyone loves it, but not everyone can be successful with it. If you're struggling with this, and a ton of sales people do, try imagining you are the president of your own company.

TK