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A close associate and I have
been analyzing some very interesting data recently. Our research is related to
identifying which specific competencies are most essential for a salesperson to
have in order to enjoy a successful sales career from the perspective of the
executives, sales managers and marketing executives who hire them. At the same time I was doing some reading
based on additional research that was conducted around the subject of what
customers look for most in a salesperson. Guess what? The results were the same
between the two! If I were to draw a conclusion from that, it
would simply be this. If I were a salesperson I would work hard to deliver the
specific competencies most employers and customers want! Knowing that they are
both looking for the same things should make that very easy to do, shouldn't it? But wait a minute. If it is so easy to do, why do lots of salespeople fail to do it? The answer is simple. And here it is. The thing they both want is not necessarily a learned skill, set of skills or even knowledge of a product. Instead, it is something much different. Here it is: Self-Management and Character It is no more sophisticated, elusive,
demanding or difficult than that. The capacity to complete things on time, meet
commitments, tell the truth, deliver on promises, be counted on to do what you
say you'll do and the capacity to be held accountable for what you do and do not
do. Self-management and character really mean
the ability to:
Isn't it interesting that none of the
components of this competency are necessarily things that are taught in school,
institutes, training sessions or seminars? Instead, they are things that are,
perhaps, learned in life - through parents, peers, experience, school
activities, individual or team sports, and the day-to-day lessons of growing up. Think about your career. How many people
(salespeople or otherwise) have you seen who simply didn't, couldn't or wouldn't
measure up to the standard of accountability, character or commitment that other
members of the team or customers expected? Here's an interesting thought. How do you
"give" someone the capacity to be trustworthy, honest, accountable and
able to manage themselves and their affairs with cleft skill and ease? I think the answer is, unfortunately, fairly
clear. Unless someone is willing to be consistent, take the moral high road,
meet their commitments and follow through on promises and obligations, neither
you, I, nor anyone else, will ever get them to do so. Period. The good news? If someone is willing there
are some things that can be learned to become more personally effective. Some of
these skills?
But the really basic fundamental truth is
this. So much of the capacity to have personal character occurs far before
anyone ever enters a career. Is it nature or nurture that develops it? That is
an argument for another day. However, the argument for this day is simply this.
If a person does not possess this essential, critical success factor, there is a
very good chance that despite their best efforts at prospecting, selling,
demonstrating product knowledge or anything else, they will eventually fail. And
they will fail in the eyes of their employer and their customers. Unfortunately for that person, the employer
and the customer are the juries of last resort. So, what does that mean to you?
Work hard at this. Don't ever believe you
have it mastered. Learn to exercise the self-discipline that says I will not
rest until I am fully confident of my ability to manage myself to the heights I
want - and deserve - to reach. Yes, success in sales or anything else is truly
an inside game. And it all starts and ends with you. |
