Thriving vs Surviving- The power of taking action in sales

“In tough times top sales people don’t wait to see what happens- they make things happen”

-Nathan Jamail, Keynote Speaker, Bestselling Author

We have the power:

Sales is hard profession in all times, but it can be especially difficult in crazy times or bad economies (pandemic anyone?), and today we have a new obstacle called social distancing and isolation. As sales professionals we can’t control the economy, competition or the government- it is all outside of our control (and is outside of our control even in the best of times). However, we can control how choose to believe, think and act.

How do we make sure we are choosing to thrive vs merely survive in sales, and more importantly during difficult times? I, like you, have had to rethink how I can continue to build my business and my success. Like many of you, I am coming off the best year of my business and was having one of the strongest first quarters ever at the start of 2020. But that quickly changed in March. I have chosen to not ignore the current situation, but I am not accepting that it will stop my growth nor my success, and I in fact am expecting 2020 to be better than 2019. Not through bind optimism- rather with belief, preparation and taking intentional action.

Block the noise:

As sales professionals we are used to having to overcome rejection, dealing with “naysayers” and difficult selling environments. But now the noise is louder than ever of “Why we can’t” or “Why we shouldn’t”- so we must keep our inner voice louder than the outside noise. This is not a “get you pumped up” message, rather it is a message of reminding us of what we need to do despite the opposition or our fear.

Getting our minds right is about knowing our purpose and value. Staying committed to knowing our product or services are needed now, more than ever, and we owe it to our prospects and our families to keep making the calls.

Action:

Write down the intent of your actions. What is your intent? And do you believe it to be the right intent?
Be bold in your presence and not tentative. If our intent is to truly serve the customer and the reason for the sale is based on the customers best interest -then the time is right.
Stay persistent, empathetic and confident. Our job is help others learn and buy products and services that will benefit them or their business. The time is always the right time if it is the right decision.

Don’t wait:

So many sales people are waiting to see what is going to happen, or are planning on protecting the business they have. Don’t wait! Take action, play offense and be bold. Now is the time to take action and grow. While others are sitting around and watching, we must be the ones that are making the calls.

This isn’t the same as creating fire sales or giving our products away in a selling panic. Don’t devalue your product, or yourself, by making that your selling tool during rough times (or at any time).

Use video and phone calls to serve our current customers and find the customers that are not being served by our competition. Personal sales growth happens for top sales people- even more so during difficult times than good times, because they are the ones thriving, vs surviving- they are the ones still making calls and feeling confident in how they can serve customers and prospects. I promise you that our bold mindset to take action despite our fears will be rewarded 10 times over.

Final Thoughts

In a time when many people are uncertain about their future- as sales people we have the power to be certain about our success. We must believe that if we continue to grow, practice and make the calls- we will be successful despite the situation. There are only two choices we as sales professionals can make today:

We can choose to wait and see or we can do what we tell our kids to do; take life by the horns and go get what you want in this world.

Yes, I know good advice is easy to give but it is not always easy to implement. So know as I am typing this message for you, I am reminding myself to be bold, make the calls today and believe that my business will thrive. I live by a motto I share with my friends that helps me remember: I am only one call a way from a good day. I am only one good day from having a great week and that one great week can make a great month and that great month can help me achieve my next best year!

The choice of thriving is ours and no one else’s. We must not allow others to determine our future or our success. My choice is easy, but my actions will require the belief, blinders, ear plugs and hard persistent work!