Do you consider yourself a professionally trained "Sales Professional"?
If so, you need to approach sales like a doctor, lawyer, athlete or any other professional approaches their profession. What do I mean?
Let me ask you, do you think a doctor goes through medical school, completes their internship and then stops learning more about their area of practice?
When you go see a doctor, would you prefer to have a doctor that was up to date on the latest treatments and medicines, or would you prefer a doctor that used the same methodology and techniques that they learned 20 years ago?
Following that same line of thought, why do professional athletes go to spring training every year? Don’t they already know everything? They are professionals right? They are the best of the best, there can’t be anything else they can learn and no way they can get any better - right? Wrong!
Any top professional that you meet is continuously learning, studying, training, reading, networking and attending seminars to learn more about their area of expertise. Why? Because things change, technology improves, new techniques are discovered, new products are developed and everything evolves as time goes on!
To bring this into perspective for the sales professional, I look back at a Tom Hopkins sales seminar that I attended over 20 years ago. In that seminar I learned the puppy dog close, the impending doom close, the take away close and 20 other canned approaches to closing a sale. At the time, that information was golden and I took that to the streets as a young salesperson and did very well!
Do you think that 20 year old stuff works today? Well I can tell you from experience that some of it does, and some does not! (more on that later) So, if I just continued to use those techniques today without adapting to my environment, I can assure you my sales career would be finished.
Let’s face it, selling today is tougher than it ever has been. With the explosion of the Internet, we now have more competition than ever, and not just from the local business across town but from global competitors.
Buyers are smarter today, they have more information at their fingertips and can smell a cheesy sales pitch from across the building. They even have seminars, books, websites, portals, forums, blogs etc..., for decision makers to help them maneuver and negotiate with salespeople.
So what do you do?
Do you keep doing the same old things that you have done since you started in sales? Not if you want to be successful! A true Sales Professional has to approach their profession just like the doctor or professional athlete and the best way to do that is to continue your education and learn from the most successful sales experts.
Don’t confuse sales experience with sales knowledge. Doing things the same way for 15 years with modest success, doesn’t make you a professional and certainly won’t make you competitive in today’s market.
To stay competitive and to continue to develop as a professional, you must continue to acquire sales skills, sales strategies, sales techniques, and new and creative selling methodologies and technology.
The easiest way to do this is to visit my Sales Hangout Blog regularly and also build a personal library and fill it with sales resources such as Sales training CDs, books on selling, Sales training DVD's and sales management training.
Commit to a routine to learn, like you would with a workout schedule to keep yourself sharp.
We all have reasons why we can’t take time to read or study new sales practices right? We have to go to those weekly meetings, answer all those emails and voicemails, juggle the proposals, paperwork and then all the follow up required by our bosses and our customers. In between all of that, of course we have families and a social life too! I know, I am there, I get it!
But, are you getting better at your profession? Are you improving your skills? Are you staying current with the trends and understanding why, where and when people buy products and services? Are you becoming the sales person that your competition fears?
Sure managing your time is a challenge, but there is no excuse to ignore all the information, technology, education, motivation, and inspiration available today for us salespeople. You need a steady source of positive influences in your daily routine.
My recommendation for all Sales Professionals, is to make a commitment to yourself, even write it down or put it on your task list (with a regular reminder) as an action item to watch a DVD, listen to a CD or read a book on any area of your profession that you know you need to improve. Set some goals for your training, learning, and your skills development.
Here are some suggestions:
• Read one new selling book every month.
• Read one new white paper every month.
• Buy a CD series on selling and listen to one new CD every week.
• Attend a Sales Seminar or Sales training class at least once a year if not more.
• Of course, visit The Sales Hangout everyday!
Most of the time, you are going to walk away with at least one "Ah-Hah", that hits home with you and you can take to the streets. Trust me, the first time you use something you have learned and it results in a nice sale, you will be hooked on continuing your education.
You will find in a short period of time, that Selling tools aren’t an expense, but actually pay huge dividends for you.
Here are some links to some of my favorite resources that have had a major impact on my career.
Now Go Sell Something And Make Some Money!!
John M.
