The G.R.E.A.T.™ Sales Professional For the 21^st Century
Part 3 of a 3 part Series

I found an inspiring and powerful quote from Marianne Williamson, author, teacher and coach when researching the topic of Attitude. I felt compelled to share her quote and why I feel Step #4: Attitude is Everything when striving to be a G.R.E.A.T.™ sales professional.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond our measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens most of us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you . . . As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

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I consider ATTITUDE the #1 attribute on what makes The G.R.E.A.T™ Sales Professional for the 21^st Century.  This Blog focuses on the final two steps of being G.R.E.A.T.™: ATTITUDE AND TIMING.

Gain Insight

Right Behaviors

Exceed Expectations

Attitude Is Everything

Timing

Are YOU or were you an athlete? How many times did your coach tell you, “It’s mind over matter?” or “attitude reflects success?”  As a competitive athlete, my coach (my father) would tell me that falling short of my goals meant that I didn’t see myself there or my mind was defeating my capabilities. Positive attitude is also necessary to be The G.R.E.A.T.™ Sales Professional in the 21^st Century and beyond.

Over the years, I have found that those who have continued success professionally and personally understand their internal selves. It means that you wake up every day with passion about your job. You start your day with positive thoughts and take action on those thoughts.  A recent client remarked, “Wow, you are really passionate about what you are doing to help high potential women leaders advance!”  

That passion came from my own experiences and challenges in the work environment. I am passionate about helping women advance into higher levels of leadership, seeing them lead teams with confidence, and always having a positive attitude. I am also passionate about teams learning how behaviors in men and women differ but are very powerful together. A team is highly productive when understanding and embracing those differences. It’s Attitude!  Your psychology and passion will lead you to results you never imagined achieving.
 
What distinguishes YOU from your competitors is YOUR attitude and passion about the product or services you sell.  Sales professionals need to keep three important components in mind when striving to be G.R.E.A.T.™:
 

·         Take the Right Course

I have seen sales professionals take the wrong course, “read the wrong map” and end up in a destination not planned. At this point, they are lost. Resilience and diligence become important.  When you encounter frustrating obstacles or anxiety about a sales situation, a positive attitude can make a real difference. Taking the right course can be perceived as the way things are or the true reality of the way things should be. The way we may see things is the source of the way we think and the way we act.

·         Shifting Paradigms

I will make the correlation between shifting paradigms and the power of being flexible. Thomas Kuhn introduced the term ‘paradigm shift’ in his highly influential landmark book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. He showed that almost every significant breakthrough in the field of scientific endeavor is first a break with tradition, with old ways of thinking, with old paradigms. Sales situations shift constantly.  Inflexible people tend to see their own talents and abilities as limited and may be threatened by fresh thinking that challenges their beliefs.  However, being flexible and shifting with a positive attitude separates you from your competition. A flexible mindset requires optimism and a flexible paradigm shift fuels a dynamic sales professional.

·         Seeing Is Believing

This is where the rubber meets the road.  Seeing yourself there and believing in yourself will enable you to be a G.R.E.A.T.™ sales person. One of the motivational tools that trainers use to help athletes achieve their goals is to have them imagine themselves performing their sport at a much higher level. Visualizing yourself  winning Sales Representative of the Year, or getting the order and walking out with the purchase order.  I read a great book this week, The Millionaire Messenger, by Brendon Burchard, that I will blog about soon.   He makes a profound analogy in Chapter 7, ‘Mastery is a way of life’. The Mindset #5: Master Mindset, about a person who is a digger that stops when he can’t move the dirt versus the person who continues to dig no matter how deep he NEEDS to go. The G.R.E.A.T.™ sales professional will continue to dig again and again focused on one opportunity at a time and will continue to dig deep, working for years to build a strong foundation.

The G.R.E.A.T.™ Sales Professionals  of the 21^st Century,  continues to dig deeper and deeper when bringing customers VALUE by being passionate and having a positive Attitude.

Timing is the 5^th Step to becoming a G.R.E.A.T.™ sales professional. It’s important to understanding the right Timing for a customer when selling your product or services. It is critical to also remember that when a customer says “no,” it may not mean forever.

Early in my sales career, I called on a large volume account that was under contract with another vendor. We had just launched a revolutionary product that was far superior to the competition. However, a strong vendor relationship and contract commitment prevented them from evaluating our product.  I knew that things could change over time, so I continued to build the relationship in hopes that the opportunity would arise.  Several months passed as the product established itself in the market.  Eventually, the client made the request to evaluate it. Walking away when the customer says “no” is not always the best approach.

Dynamics within accounts change constantly too, which can also create change. Timing could mean a few things: when you make your sales pitch, when you schedule a business meeting, when you launch a new product or offer a new service or when dynamics change for your customers.

Planning depends on timing.  Execution depends on timing.  Offering a solution depends on timing.  Delivery results depend on timing. When you visit a potential client, attend a meeting or network, it all depends on Timing.

To be The G.R.E.A.T.™ Sales Professional of the 21^st Century, you need to master all five steps in the process.  When you do, you will achieve your professional goals beyond your expectations.