Stay Open to Possibilities

"I Never Learned How Not To Do What I Can't Do"

Sales trainer Tibor Shanto heard the above expression on the radio the other day, and was taken with the fantastic outlook it presented. Here are his thoughts on how it applies to you as a sales professional:

"As a sales coach, and in corporate life I can't tell you how many times I have seen good sales people limit their opportunities by taking up the opposite mantra, and strictly focusing on how to succeed at not doing things they currently can't, won't or even consider doing," says Shanto. "Let's be clear - we are talking about perfectly legal things done daily by successful sales professionals every day. As a result they end up making less money than they could, but more importantly end up enjoying their jobs less than those open to possibilities."

"What I have always been curious about is where they learned that they can't do what they don't do, especially having never done those things. I have written before about the "I couldn't do that", but this is different; in that case those people were reluctant to change or take on new things. Here we are talking about people who cannot fathom the possibilities, rather than just reject them due to the effort or change involved.

The freedom of curiosity that come with the attitude of not learning what you don't know is not only liberating, but makes life fun even when faced with challenging and frustrating situations.

As a salesperson, I am challenged everyday, I know how failure and giving up looks and feels like, been there done that, it's OK and repetitive. But the wonder of the unknown, now that's a high, knowing how it ends, but not always knowing what it will take to get there, how deep inside I'll have to reach to get the deal, is exhilarating. What will I have to do to get the next high; the next grade of nastiness is much more rewarding than the outcome, i.e. a deal and the commission. But not giving it a go because one thinks they can't do it is just average - which is not you, right?

Tibor Shanto brings over 20 years of sales experience to Renbor Sales Solutions Inc., from telemarketing to leading a global sales team focused on providing top end solutions. Tibor has helped to improve performance for sales professionals in a wide variety of fields, from financial services to on-line B2B specialists.

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Conserve Energy...Stop Complaining!

Mark Hunter has a great post on his blog. I know it's a reminder I should keep in mind!

From Mark's blog:

Regardless of how energetic you are, energy spent on complaining about something or somebody you don't have any control over is always wasted. The greatest assets any salesperson has are their time and intelligence. How you choose to spend the time you have each day is the easiest asset to control. There is a direct relationship between your energy level and the amount of time you have in your day. When we spend it complaining about something, we wind up placing our energy into an activity that has virtually zero return. Our complaining takes away our valuable energy and, as a result, our most prized resource: time.

Over the years, I've found that there is very little room for complaining among top performing salespeople. They would rather spend their energy and time developing customers and closing sales. Next time you're about ready to start complaining about something, take a deep breath, step back and ask yourself if it is really going to be constructive.

Read The Sales Hunter's latest thoughts and comments about consultative selling, sales development, and sales motivation techniques at www.thesaleshunter.com/blog

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An Olympic Attitude

We learned a lot during the recent Olympics - about the athletes, the host county, China, and maybe a little too much about how much Michael Phelps eats every day. But mostly we learned lessons of inspiration. Kelley Robertson shares a very important sales lesson learned, not from a winner, but a loser...

"As I watched the Olympics last week, I was appalled by the behavior one athlete portrayed after losing her event," says Robertson. "Her words, tone of voice, and body language were extremely negative and her comments to an interviewer were far less than professional. Her bitterness was profoundly evident and this behavior dispelled any sympathy I had initially felt for her loss."

"I often encounter salespeople who show similar behavior," continues Robertson. "A competitor sneaks in and steals an account. A customer decides to buy an inferior product. Competitors become more predatory in their pricing. A deal falls through after several months of effort and perhaps a great deal of expense. The list could go on."

"Situations like this are a fact of life and business. How you respond makes a difference. If you allow yourself to become bitter, future situations will only compound your resentment and you will gradually find yourself struggling to meet your goals. However, if you evaluate the situation and determine what, if anything, you could have done differently to improve your results, your behavior will be much more positive."

"No one likes to lose a sale, especially a large one," says Robertson. "However, displaying bitterness will negatively affect your future efforts."

As President of The Robertson Training Group, Kelley has helped thousands of professionals improve their business results with his engaging approach to sales training and speaking. Learn more at www.robertsontraininggroup.com

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