“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle
Look into my eyes, you're getting sleepy, you're getting real sleepy, your eyelids are getting droopy, are you hypnotized yet by all the social noise? I encourage all of you, please take off the dark sun glasses and stop chasing shiny "social" objects!
In Hey Sales Leaders... 3 Reasons Why Your Sales Teams "Social" ROI Sucks! I shared my opinion that social has always been a part of sales. It is about building relationships and changing the way people think as now we have more tools to build these relationships.
Here lies the issue...
"Sales reps have been hypnotized into believing what they aren't doing doesn't work!"
BANDWAGON MENTALITY
Inside the sports world we hear the word "Bandwagoner." Do you ever notice how people suddenly become fans of teams who are performing well? Do you ever wonder if they're real fans? Or do you wonder if they're just bandwagon fans? Bandwagon fans are defined as sports fans who've shown no past loyalty to a team, who only support them when they're doing well.
Sales reps are easily enamored! I submit to all of you, sales reps are hopping onboard the social bandwagon as this has become the next shiny object. Sales reps have become enthusiastic, raving fans of the social movement. It's the craze, it's fashionable, it's popular, heck they all want to be part of the growing movement.
Let's take one huge step beyond being bandwagoner sales reps. Let's stop the madness! Let's get better at sales! Let's unite to improve our entire game! Let's become sales professionals!
STOP CHASING AND GET TO WORK
Who doesn’t dream of sales success?
Who in sales doesn't dream of being known, admired, recognized and honored amongst their peers and clients?
Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Is hopping on the social selling bandwagon going to all of a sudden make you a better sales rep? Of course not, let's just get real. Is social selling an important sales additive, methodology and ideology that needs to be understood, implemented and coached to, absolutely!
I'm not here to be a "Debbie-Downer". I firmly believe integrating the use of social plays a huge role inside the sales profession. The concern I have is over the lack of attention being given to the most basic of sales training, coaching and improvement in order for sales reps to become sales professionals.
I ask all of you to stop and think about this for a moment...
At the core, the inner foundation of a sales rep; if it's not sturdy then how can you expect the four walls and roof of "social selling" to withstand the test of time without crumbling right in front of your eyes?
Are you smelling what I'm cooking?
SALES PROFESSIONALS DEVELOP PATIENCE
We're told early on in our sales career, patience is a virtue. However, very few in sales are ever shown, coached or taught how to be patient. Patience is not something we have; it is something we consciously do every day. Patience is like any other hard-earned discipline: The more we practice, the more patient we become. Sales professionals eat patience for breakfast.
Chase the shiny object call patience
Becoming successful requires patience. Patience when it comes to client relations, business negotiations, business development, self-development as well as integrating social aspects into your process.
SOCIAL SUCCESS TAKES PATIENCE
What makes you valuable?
Your clients and future clients won’t ever engage in a business conversation or buy from you, if they don’t understand why they should pay attention to you.
Think about this one...
If you struggle to open up a conversation through traditional prospecting channels, what makes you think you can do it with social selling?
Many in sales have come to the proverbially "crossroads" within their sales lives. I will submit this has happened through years of neglect. A healthy mind and body takes discipline, healthy eating habits and a commitment to daily exercise. Sales is no different, however; my concern lies with how many sales reps make a commitment to a healthy sales mind. The same can be said for those in sales management.
What makes you think you can flip the switch, change your habits and all of sudden reap the massive rewards all in the social selling community promise you?
Change requires strong motivation. Patience rewards you with positive recognition, greater sales results, increased client retention and stronger profits. Sales professionals are consumed with patience as they build their brand, their reputation and how they integrate social into their process.
CHASE EXCELLENCE
"Patience is a virtue, and I am learning patience. It's a tough lesson"
Elon Musk
A sales professional fills their potential by chasing excellence. Why excellence? Your clients, your future clients, your family and your career desperately need the best of what each one of you has to offer.
Becoming a sales professional, building your brand, proactively marketing your brand and building your reputation takes time. You can't plant a seed and expect it to flower overnight. Success begins with patience and commitment. Sales professional's put in the due diligence necessary to achieve excellence.
Patience is the one virtue that will serve you well. Patience takes time and conscious effort to master, but impatience can lead to your demise.
Sales success takes time. Nobody has ever been an overnight sales success as it was always a result of many years of disciplined work. Keep building on it, keep practicing, keep learning all sales facets to your benefit; just like you’d build a muscle as you’ll be surprised by the progress you make.
Stop chasing shiny objects and chase excellence
Meaningful and credible relationships do matter! Discover the power of relational selling at Selling From the Heart.
I understand, I get where you all are coming from. Every day, I walk in your shoes. I am fully committed to helping your sales team integrate social aspects through the eyes of a practitioner into your current sales process to grow new business. I want you to get results. This is why I am passionate about doing this the right way, the genuine way, the authentic way! It's about understanding value before visibility.
Selling From the Heart is making a difference! I poured my heart into every page of this book and I think you're going to love it. You can find it on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. You can click on the book image below and this will take you to Amazon.
You can find more material inside Selling From The Heart.
In a world full of empty suits, I'm passionate about helping sales reps succeed by getting valuable before they get visible. I help sales teams understand the true value they bring to the market.
I appreciate getting the opportunity to share my stories. Integrating the use of social and sharing my story on LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive office technology world. With great pride I transform, challenge, coach and inspire sales teams to grow new business by helping them share their story and how they communicate it out by integrating the use of social inside the sales process. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter and on my podcast by clicking on Selling from the Heart.
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