Sell or Be Sold(8)
I can show you how to become a professional, but first you have to get clear on two things: (1) Selling is critical to your survival regardless of your career, and (2) you must decide to become a professional and give up any idea that it’s something for others and not for you. You have to decide that you want to start getting your way in life. Quit thinking that it’s up to fate or the gods. It’s up to you. You will have to shift your thinking to understand that your very life and every dream you have ever had depend solely on your ability to sell. If you aren’t getting your way, then quit making excuses. Decide now to learn everything there is to know about the only secret to success—sales.
THE GREAT SHORTAGE
For thousands of years, salespeople have been amassing wealth and accumulating riches, and these same opportunities still exist today. It isn’t real to most salespeople that they can amass fortunes, but that’s due to the short-sighted view of the opportunities available for the great and dedicated salespeople.
While there may or may not be shortages of water and oil on this planet, I assure you there are vast shortages of highly committed, highly dedicated, and great salespeople. This is good news for those who choose to become a great salesperson, for the world awaits you with its fortune. While there are hundreds of millions of people who call themselves salespeople, there are only a handful who are really “the greats.” The difference between mediocrity and greatness lies in being committed to the profession and being consumed by the desire to be great and the dedication to learn the trade. Despite the popular belief that there are limits in sales, I assure you that the only limits you’ll face are those that exist in your imagination.
The truth is, you can get paid whatever you want to. There is no ceiling. You can decide what products you’ll sell, who you’ll sell them to, and who you want to work with. The truly great salespeople who stand out above the rest aren’t even really in the same profession as the masses. They think differently, act differently, and work differently. To them the job is effortless because they understand how to reach their goals. They’re paid immense fees compared to their peers. They make selling look easy, and others are certain that their success is the result of some “gift” they were born with. Nothing could be further from the truth. I’ve never met anyone that reached stellar levels of success who got there because of luck or some sort of God-given talent. They’re successful because they have mastered the trade.
When the economy crashes, “the greats” may experience small dips in production, but they always survive, whereas the amateurs lose their jobs. Great salespeople don’t have ceilings on their earnings and they know that their income depends solely on their ability to get in front of customers, make themselves known, get agreements, close sales, and reproduce those results over and over again.
Only a handful of people ever take the time to really learn this game and master it. When I was twenty-five, I made the commitment to know everything there was to know about the game of selling. I was finished with pumping myself up every morning with enthusiasm and hoping for great results. Enthusiasm is great, but it’s not a replacement for knowing.
The amateur goes out and plays golf every Saturday with his boys, but he can’t play with a master who truly knows the game of golf.
The person who knows what he’s doing and understands every nuance of his career doesn’t have to get enthusiastic; he is enthusiastic. When you really, truly know something, you can predict outcomes. He who can predict outcomes has true confidence and freedom.
CHAPTER THREE QUESTIONS
What is the difference between a professional and an amateur (in your own words)? After you answer, check to see what you left out by referring to the book.
Write down three qualities you have been told there is a shortage of in salespeople.
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3.
Now write down three qualities that you have observed there is an actual shortage of in salespeople.
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2.
3.
What are the three differences between mediocrity and greatness, as stated by the author? (Check off the elements you need to strengthen.)
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2.
3.
When the economy dips, what is the significant difference between what happens to “the greats” and what happens to amateurs?
CHAPTER FOUR
THE GREATS
COMMITMENT
So how do you become one of the greats in your field, one of the masters? The very first step, and the most important one, is to commit all the way!
Commit: To devote oneself completely to something.
This inescapable truth is that to be truly great at anything, you must devote yourself completely. If you are a career salesperson, you have to devote yourself, your energy, and your resources to a career in selling. If you aren’t a career salesperson, you’d better get it to your core that your success still depends on this skill, and then you’d better learn it. You have to convince yourself that this is the thing you have to learn in order to get your way in life and that this is where you are going to make your riches.