Sales Training Tactics » Leaders

Don’t Be a C

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:00:28 +0000

Winners are only judged in loser’s circles.
-Brian Sullivan

Recently, as I prepared to speak at a company seminar, I looked around the room as salespeople walked in to find their seat at one of the 25 round tables. I wondered how these salespeople would choose which seat was best for them. Just a few minutes before my speech, I asked the sales manager to identify who in the room were the A, B and C players based on attitude and performance. Sure enough, they seemed to be huddled in groups throughout the room…finding comfort in like-minded performers.

As expected, throughout the day the table full of As and Bs participated in the learning more actively than the Cs. The Cs (when not enthusiastically sharing their tired story about how hung over they were from the night before) were sitting in the back, and at times rolling their eyes while the As offered their own advice and sales experience.

So what about you? Are you and A, B or C? And regardless of what you are right now, what do you want to be? If you want to be a C, it’s easy. You just have to believe you know all you need to know, what has worked in the past will continue to work, and that your sales peers who are constantly honing their knowledge and skill are nothing more than corporate butt-kissers.

And if you want to an A, then stop hanging around Cs. They are poisoning you. Grab a salad and shimmy up to a top performer or leader at your next sales meeting. Then grill them with questions about what you can do to mimic their success. And while your buddies from of the back of the room judge your motive, give them a wink, knowing that you will be delivering their performance review someday.

Stop Being a Wimp

admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:03:50 +0000

“What you think of yourself is much more important
than what others think of you.”
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (3BC-65AD)
Roman philosopher and statesman

Do you believe you have what it takes to positively affect and influence others? Do you communicate with confidence or do you lack it? Fact is, if you don’t believe in yourself and your ability, than there is little chance that others will believe in you. Fear, lack of confidence and indecision makes it almost impossible to sell, lead, manager, parent or coach. So if your objective is to sell a product, motivate a team, educate a child, or convince your spouse that you need a new kitchen, the first “thing” that others need to “buy” is YOU. Which means YOU have to be confident in YOU. So this week, stop being a wimp, believe in yourself, and watch people follow. Because like Mom used to say, “There are only two types of people, leaders and followers.” Guess which type believes in themselves? Hmmm.

President of Kansas City-based PRECISE Selling, Brian delivers seminars and internet training programs on sales, customer service, leadership and presentation skills to companies of all sizes. To find out more, visit him at www.preciseselling.com or email Brian at bsullivan@preciseselling.com.

Get Pumped with Enthusiasm

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:20:03 +0000

“Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself.
Before you can move their tears, your own must flow.
To convince them, you must yourself believe.”
-Winston Churchill

One of the greatest gifts God has given us is emotion. By showing your emotion, it allows others to get a glimpse of what the heck is going on inside of that skin of yours. And when you give others the ability to see what is in your head and heart, your ability to positively influence them is greatly increased. Think of some of the greatest leaders in history and how they used emotion to convey their message. Now think of that big meeting you have this week where you are trying to influence others, and jazz that presentation up with some raw emotion. Let others see that you firmly believe what you are “selling.” It will be that expressed emotion that will mean the difference between attaining your meeting objective and falling just a bit short.