Well it’s almost the end of the year. Welcome to Q4! What are you going to do with it? While most people are just plugging along trying to make sales, I suggest you think bigger.
According to Eliot Burdett, co-managing partner at Peak Sales Recruiting (www.PeakSalesRecruiting.com) and one of the Engage Powerhouse Sales Seminar Event keynote speakers, the desire to achieve is hard wired into the DNA of a top sales person. What do you want to achieve this quarter (and for the end of the year?)
These are not just questions about sales. They are also questions about purpose and fulfillment. And through the years I’ve found that if you concentrate on purpose, the quota tends to handle itself. The paradox is most people concentrate on the detail. They have endless lists of “things to do.” A note book full of tasks. Or more commonly these days a blackberry or iphone that manages your tasks. Thjink abouot it though, are any of those devices helping you become something? Or are they simply controlling what you need to do today. That’s the problem. We spend more time fiddling around with technology (especially email) than we do planning our own success. Sure, they are integral tools for sales effectiveness but not necessarily personal growth.
To start this month, why don’t you consider creating a ‘not to do’ list.That is a list of all those actions, behaviors and habits that impede your success and you should not do anymore. Watching the news first thing in the morning, gossiping at work, surfing for information rather than picking up the phone….Perhaps it also includes a list of those people you should not associate with anymore because they are life suckers who bring you down.
Next, plan some time for professional and personal development this quarter. Yes, planning time for sales calls will havea short term positive effect on your sales. Planning time for development will have a long term effect. If your company won’t pay for a course, consider spending your own money. If nothing else, buy a book and read. Studies show that only 10% of sales people ever spend $20 or more on their own development. My guess is that number correlates exactly with the top 10% income earners. As Jim Rohn said, “Rich people have big libraries, poor people have big screen TV’s”. If you want both – start with the library.
Here is how I have been planning for my own growth, and the growth of Engage.
1. Start with the big things. Who do you want to become? What are you trying to achieve? The answer to those two questions will set the stage for your actions.
2. Start at the beginning. Before you can take an action, you have to have a philosophy and an attitude. Incidentally, attitude is also a key peak performer DNA that Eliot talks about. Mine is still in progress and I work at it everyday. The right Attitude is not something that happens over night, its something you develop over time. And its tested everyday. Especially when you fail. Whatever slupm, or failure you encounter along the way, attitude helps you emerge quickly.
3. Read and Reflect more. Start with ‘Zero Resistance Living by Maxwell Maltz and if you have read that try ‘Sex Money Kiss’ by Gene Simmons. Check out our reading list for more ideas.
4. Find one good mentor or mastermind partner this year and begin building a relationship with them. You have heard the statement, “you become who you hang out with” So why don’t you use this quarter to upgrade! Find someone successful, wise, and willing. Figure out a way to build a friendship or at least admire them from afar. Some of my mentors know me, some don’t. Regardless I can learn from them. Here’s a tip, the biggest compliment you can give a mentor is to actually use the advice they give. Nothing will frustrate a mentor more than you doing nothing with the ideas they share. If you want the relationship to flourish share and implement.
5) Take action. Ultimately the difference between top performers and everyone else is their ability to implement quickly. Don’t get stuck in all the details. Just do something!
Dedicated to increasing your sales
Colleen