Make the Extra Effort to Acquire Sales Skills

Are you content to just "be in the game?" Or are you like men's hockey Team Canada, which defeated Team Russia with grit and determined effort? Although you have competitors, your sole purpose is not to 'beat' them, but to carve out a decent living for yourself. However, there are good reasons to cultivate an attitude of excellence in what you do, including your sales efforts.

An Olympic athlete simply cannot afford to settle for mediocrity, and you shouldn't either. How do these contestants become so good at what they do? They have even more than grit and determination - they make the extra effort to acquire the skills to excel at their game. With concentrated effort, YOU can attain the skills to be effective in sales.

Most people admire Olympic athlete who achieve success. What we often fail to understand is the effort they have put into it. They have worked long and hard to get to where they are. They have given careful attention to developing ability. With similar resolve, you can acquire sales skills. When you are ready and willing to put forth the effort, you can learn effective sales skills.

Here are some questions to consider if you want to be successful:
- Do you know exactly what you want to achieve (SMART sales goals)?
- Do you know what it will take to achieve these goals?
- Are you willing to put in extra effort to achieve your goals?
- Do you read books or listen to tapes/CDs that will help you become better at sales?
- Do you attend workshops that will help you improve your skills?
- Do you practice or apply new information as you learn it?
- Are you persistent and do you refuse to give up?
- Do you experiment with new ideas?
- Do you evaluate your performance and progress regularly and make changes accordingly?

If you were unable to respond positively to all of these questions, you have now identified an action you can take that will help you achieve more. The trip to the podium is not easy and we should never assume otherwise. Remember, anything worth getting is worth making the effort for. Isn't fulfilling your dream worth the effort?

In summary, learn from the discipline and training and the skills developed by the Olympians. Apply it to your sales efforts and your business will attain a high degree of success. Go for the gold!

Winning Athletes Practice, Practice, Practice

Continuing the Olympic theme we started, let's focus more on the importance of practicing your sales presentations. Remember, as an Olympic athlete simply cannot afford to settle for mediocrity, you should not either. Talking with others about what you do ("sales") is a necessary part of your business that will result in the opportunity to do what you do. So, doesn't it make sense to learn to do it well?

Let's make clear that you don't want to practice a "canned" presentation. You do need to be in a position to discuss your business in a conversational, non-threathening way. At the same time, these discussions need some structure. Olympic athletes need to have their skills finely tuned. Can you imagine them achieving that without practicing? They will literally practice for years to be ready for an event that lasts only minutes. Realistically, can you expect acceptable results in your 'event' without practice?

So, how do you practice for your sales activities?
1. Prepare an outline (NOT a script) outlining your primary points of discussion. You may have several 'standard' outlines, to be used with various types of clients. Your discussion points also need to be customized for each individual prospect.
2. Set aside time to go over what you want to say. Write down what you anticipate prospects might say, including potential questions, objections and suspected 'hot buttons'. Especially, write down examples of open-ended questions you want to ask.
3. Find someone that you can 'role play' your sales presentation with. Consider business minded family members, your mentors, etc.
4. Keep track of what works and what doesn't. Immediately after each time you have a client meeting, taken 10 minutes to analyze how it went. Make a notation of which lines of reasoning worked best. When you apply what you learn, this will help you to keep getting better each time.

The Olympics provide a rare opportunity to watch people who have, if not perfected their craft, have hones it so finely that they are in a position to win. As you watch, look for what you can learn about improving your sales efforts. How much exertion do you put into practicing your sales presentations? Is your 'elevator speech' well crafted and ready to use when the occasion arises? Are you prepared for what you want to discuss when you are with a prospective client? You won't always 'win a gold medal' but when you go the gold, you WILL generate more profitable sales!