The Common Thread of Sales Success
The basics and fundamentals are the foundation of excellence.
In every human endeavor there is a common thread that links together all success. In this episode we will discuss this secret to success.
What is the one common characteristic that defines all experts and consistent top performers in any field, be it sports, academics, medicine, music, science, engineering, law, leadership, business finance, or sales? Now you might be tempted to answer, attitude, talent, persistence, drive but these answers would be incorrect. You see the one thing that ties all experts and exceptionally successful people together is a focus on, the practice of, and adherence to the basics building blocks and fundamentals of their profession.
The basics and fundamentals are the foundation of excellence. It is impossible to be become a professional baseball player without mastering throwing, catching, and hitting. You cannot become a doctor if you have not mastered an understanding of the human anatomy. You will never play violin in an orchestra if you haven’t mastered scales. It is the same for every profession, including sales, where you will never become a top 20% salesperson until you have mastered prospecting, questioning, listening, presenting, and closing.
The top experts in every field have invested thousands of hours in learning and practicing the basics and fundamentals for a good reason. The fundamentals are the foundation on which they hone their talent, leverage their attitude and belief system, and power up their persistence. They recognize that these basic building blocks are the real formula and secret to success.
On the other hand, the average and mediocre skip the basics looking instead for shortcuts to success. These people believe there is some magic pill that has given the super successful an advantage and they spend their lives and often their money looking for a secret formula that will give them instant success. They chase one scheme after another becoming ever more frustrated and never gaining the success they desire.
The failure to respect the fundamentals is magnified in the sales profession where millions of salespeople fail to live up to their potential. They ignore or forget the basics and in doing so hurt their company, team, career, and family. Meanwhile, the experts in sales earn hundreds of thousands of dollars; reap rewards, trips, and cash; get promotions; gain respect; and live lifestyles that most people in the global economy only dream about.
The amazing thing is these exceptional Sales Professionals come from diverse backgrounds and industries. They have different personality styles. Some work for great companies and some work for second tier organizations. Many work for outstanding sales managers but some don’t. Regardless of their circumstances they all are considered the best of the best in sales because year in and year out they deliver consistent high performance. And what do they all have in common? Every one of these top performers has mastered the fundamentals of selling.
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