"Seasoned Sales Person Beware!"
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Seasoned Sales Person Beware! In this article:
Always be Ripe and Ready What's the next step for an apple on a tree after it ripens? If no one picks it, it falls to the ground and rots. The same thing holds true for seasoned sales people. When we get to the point where we think we know everything there is to know about selling, we may be ripe and rotting instead of ripe and ready. The Pro Knows Some of the best audiences I have worked with were people making big bucks in selling. My father, who was a butcher, taught me that a dull knife will cut you faster than a sharp knife. The big money makers in these audiences knew that they should always be sharpening their sales skills. Most importantly, they needed to be reminded of some of the old skills that they were no longer using. You are Under Arrest I like to ask my audiences the question, 'If you were arrested today and accused of being a professional sales person, would they have enough evidence to convict you?' Let's assume that you are on trial. Here are some of the questions that you would be asked to determine your guilt:
Would you have surgery by a brain surgeon who did not keep up with his profession? Then why should your customer allow you to operate on his wallet, if you are not practicing like a professional?
Even Icons Listen and Learn Zig Ziglar, an icon in the selling business, can always be seen taking notes when he sits in an audience as a participant. Zig knows that even though he is informed, he can always benefit from listening to others. I received contrasting comments from two different attendees at one of my seminars. The first comment was: 'I have been in the selling profession for over thirty-five years. Thank you for the reminders and the cutting-edge information that you shared with us today.' The other comment read: 'Nothing new. I was already familiar with the information shared at today's meeting.' Just for fun, I checked with the person who engaged me for the presentation, and I found that the person, who gave the first comment, was the number one producer in the company while the person, who gave the second comment, was marginal in his performance evaluation. It is worse to think you know it all when you don't, than it is to not know it all. If you do not know it all, and you are aware of the fact, then you just might do something about your lack of knowledge. Always be Green and Growing If you want to grow in your sales career, develop an attitude of always being green and growing. Consider your future success a journey that never ends. Keep an open mind and be willing to listen to what others have to say. Do not prejudge the presenter or the message of the presentation. I attended a meeting for a major association, and the speaker was scheduled to speak on telephone sales technique. My first reaction was that I did not need to attend that particular session because I teach cutting-edge telephone sales techniques. I decided to practice what I preach and discovered that the first thirty minutes were good reminders of concepts that I already knew and material that I teach in my own seminars. However, the presenter changed my thinking process dramatically when he made me realize that something I had been teaching needed to be tweaked. The resulting change made an enormous difference in my message. Take the Next Step Today What is your attitude toward continuing your professional development? Read a sales book or subscribe to a sales magazine, and do it today! Then when harvest time comes, you will be ripe and ready.
© 2004-2008 Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc. |
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REPRINT info: Joe Bonura About Joe Bonura His background is unique. Joe owned and operated a highly successful advertising agency for 18 years. During that time, he found his advertising campaigns were more effective when he educated his clients in the areas of sales and service. He conducted training seminars for his clients as added value. Word spread that Joe was a quality speaker and more and more people asked him to speak. The demand became so high that he sold the agency to three of his associates to start his own speaking and consulting company, Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc. Joe is past President of the Kentucky Speakers Association and a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a prestigious designation earned by only 8% of the 3,600 member National Speakers Association. Joe presently serves on the board of directors of NSA. He is author of the audio learning systems "Three-Dimensional Selling®" and "Turning Customer Satisfaction Into Customer Excitement®." He is author of the book Throw the Rabbit—The Ultimate Approach to Three-Dimensional Selling. Click here TO ENGAGE JOE BONURA FOR A TRAINING SEMINAR AT YOUR COMPANY
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