When he finally made it to the bottom, I suggested that we start a training company so that salespeople would never have to experience in their careers what he had had to experience on that mountain. Scott and I have been business partners for many years now. He’s one of the most persistent people I know and has made a full-time commitment to help others through training so they can successfully take their careers to the mountaintops.
TO QUALIFY AS GREAT!
All greats are able to predict the outcome of any given situation, and great salespeople are able to determine and predict their own income. If you are unable to effectively and consistently increase your income as a salesperson, you are not a professional, and there is something that you don’t know and aren’t able to predict. It seems like it would be fairly important to be able to predict the objections and stalls that your prospects will give you; if you can’t, it means you are not truly a professional, and it will show up in lost sales.
Regardless of how long you have been doing this, if you’re losing more than you’re winning, then you need to realize that you’re an amateur and it’s time to kick up your commitment a notch and become someone who knows what he’s doing! You say, “Man, you’re being harsh on me! I’m just going through a cold spell right now.” Wrong! You’re making excuses; the reality is that your cold spell is due to your own lack of understanding of your profession. You’ve been sliding by on amateur skills, and those skills are showing up in your results. Anyone can sell when everyone is buying the product, but when there’s competition and the economy tightens, the amateurs start crying and the professionals continue to prosper. The major difference is that the professional is committed and knows what he’s doing, while the amateur is not committed and does not know.
A boxer is considered a professional boxer if he’s paid. But if he loses every match, people won’t continue to pay to see him fight, and he’ll return to amateur status. He’ll be knocked down to his true rank. Most businesspeople are being knocked down by the economy due to their ranking—their lack of commitment and not knowing how to sell.
In my opinion, you don’t have to be able to predict what you have to do to raise your income. You are a professional when you can predict results and get them. If you know your game, you don’t have to rely on luck—instead, you can achieve consistent success and can compete with others at the top. Pay just happens to be the reward given to those who reach the top.
There are many professional mothers who aren’t paid for raising their children. On the other side of the coin, just because a woman is a mother doesn’t mean she’s a professional mother. There are mothers out there that you wouldn’t hire to babysit your own kids.
Just because you cook doesn’t mean you’re a Cordon Bleu chef, but you can be a professional even though you’re not paid for it. My sister is a professional cook, not because she earns a living doing it, but because she knows what she is doing, she knows the kitchen, knows her appliances, knows her timing, and knows her recipes. It’s not just the preparation of the meal and the fact that the food tastes good. Hell, I can duplicate her recipes, but the amount of mess I create compared to the amount she creates, the time I take, and the effort I use isn’t even close. I’m an amateur cook, and she’s a professional. She has the ability to predict all that goes into preparing a meal and I don’t. This ability comes from committing to being aware and observing the scene completely.
Just as there are lots of cooks and mothers, there are also lots of so-called salespeople. But just because someone is engaged in the business of selling doesn’t make that person a professional.
If you’re a professional golfer it means that you’ve qualified by playing in tournaments against others and have qualified based on your abilities to produce results. And just because you’re a professional doesn’t make you a great.
To become one of the greats, you have to practice, not just play. To become a great golfer, for example, you have to commit every fiber of your being to the game and still know there’s more to learn. Do you see the difference?
Most salespeople are amateurs, some of them are professionals, and only a few are greats. Ultimately, it comes down to the level of commitment and dedication you have. The greats can predict, a skill that comes from committing, observing, and preparing solutions. To the degree that you can predict, you can respond appropriately. Prediction is the great trait of the great salespeople.
The more you’re able to predict with accuracy, the more you’ll be prepared to handle situations. It’s like driving: If you know what the other drivers are going to do, you can avoid accidents. It’s not just about driving your own car. You’ve got to be able to predict what other drivers will do. Using the tool of observation will help you learn how to do this.