If you aren’t having fun when you are talking to clients, why not? Remember that as a Salesman your job isn’t “hard work” – you’re not out building skyscrapers or paving roads. The heaviest thing you pick up is a phone generally. The biggest muscle you work is your brain.
Let your brain get out and run for a while sometimes, have fun with your clients. Make some jokes, get them laughing, tell them a self deprecating story, have fun. Nothing builds a relationship faster than shared laughter.
The environment you work in can make a huge difference in what you put out. If you’ve got a huge cubicle farm it will be very different than if you have an open floor where everyone can see everything going on. Is it easier to work collaboratively in a big space or a small one. People’s energy is contagious. When someone starts something awesome, be nearby and catch your own little piece of it. When you find a team working on something awesome, even better – it grows exponentially – even more so if you can help in anyway. Surround yourself with smart people who want to get things done and you’ll find yourself getting things done as well.
A handful of energy drinks and a handful of smart people in one room and a new idea is launched and started on development. Instead of using the large open room, the 10×15 office in the back was ground zero. What allows this to happen? An environment where anything is possible, smart people congregate, and time. Are you in an environment like this? Put an environment in place where anyone’s ideas can be valuable, and empower people to just be there. Let good things happen and they will.
Do you like to win? Odds are if you are a salesman you love to win. And probably with the converse, hate to lose. Sales at the end of the day is nothing more than a series of competitions.
You versus the customer – who is going to get their way.
You versus the other guys – who is going to get the sale.
You versus the other salesmen you work with – who is going to get the most sales.
You versus yourself – can you top your historical results or goals?
I’m well known as someone who will do whatever it takes to win. I don’t cheat but I’ll bend every rule to its limit of flexibility to win. Most of the best salesmen I’ve ever worked with or against have been this way as well.
If you know that sales is a competition, and you know that you have to win. What are you going to do to win without cheating?
