The Common Denominator of Sales Success

To quote Albert E. N. Gray, “The common denominator of success --- the secret of success of every man who has ever been successful --- lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don't like to do.”

This speech given to a group on insurance sales people nearly fifty years ago has forever changed my life. For some reason, I believed that successful people were successful because they worked hard, were lucky enough to have the stars align in their favor, and had a pre-disposition to thoroughly enjoy doing the things that failures didn’t want to do. Truth be known, successful sales people don’t necessary like to do the things that unsuccessful sales people are unwilling to do. However, they know that by doing certain things they will have success, and they have a strong enough purpose in their lives to drive them to do it.

Years ago when I started my sales training company I found myself making more that a hundred cold calls each day to business owners along the Wasatch front. It was difficult and discouraging work. It was not something that I would have chosen to do, but I knew that by suffering through the calls that I would eventually find those clients that would allow me to be successful. There were two things that drove me to do the things I didn’t like to do. First, the mortgage needed to be paid and I didn’t want my wife and children to suffer. Second, I wanted my business to be successful. I had a passion and a dream that I was unwilling to let die.

Here are three steps you can take to apply the common denominator of success in your life and to dramatically improve your sales:

1. Identify a purpose in your life so strong and so compelling that you will be willing to put forth an extraordinary effort in your sales activity to satisfy that purpose.
2. Identify those activities, even the ones you don’t enjoy, that are necessary for sales success.
3. Create the habit of doing those activities on a regular basis with your eyes clearly focused on your purpose.

Sales Effort vs Reward

All sales people should understand that their financial rewards are in direct proportion to their efforts. In other words, the harder you work the more money you will make. This concept is absolutely true! However, you don’t necessarily need to work twice as hard or twice as long to make twice as much money. Let me give you an example.

In the game of baseball, a player who averages 3 hits out of 12 at bats has what we call a 250 batting average or hits .250% of the time. A typical income for this player might be $1,000,000. Another baseball player who averages 4 hits out of 12 at bats has a 333 batting average or hits the ball safely .333% of the time. A typical income for this player might be $5,000,000. The difference in performance is one more hit out of twelve at bats, or an increase of 8.3%. However, the difference in income is four million dollars more.

Here is challenge for each of you: Determine what an 8% increase in effort and sales activity might be and then work that much harder for the next month. I can promise you that your sales commissions will increase significantly – far more than just eight percent.

Successful Sales People Visualize Their Success

For many years I have smiled as I have thought of the nickname for the state of Missouri – “The Show Me State”. Seeing is believing! No statement has ever been more true for sales people. People believe what they can clearly see. So what if you can’t clearly see your goals? If the goal is not something you can physically see or hold tangibly, you must be able to visualize it in your mind.

Cherie Carter-Scott said, “Ordinary people believe only in the possible. Extraordinary people visualize not what is possible or probable, but rather what is impossible. And by visualizing the impossible, they begin to see it as possible.” Sales people often limit their success by limiting their vision. Here are five simple steps that will double your sales through visualization:

1. Establish clearly definable goals.
2. Find a picture that represents your goal.
3. Visualize in your mind the realization of your goal.
4. Write a positive, present tense affirmation of achieving your goal.
5. Plan and schedule each day those activities that will make your goal become a reality.

Three Saboteurs To Sales Success

There are three main saboteurs to a sales person’s success First, the fear of failure. Second, complacency or the desire to retire before it is time. Third, an inadequate level of belief. Let’s discuss each one briefly and learn how to stand-up to their influence and conquer their effects.

A person’s fear of failure reduces their desire to take action, which promotes the temptation to quit, which in turn reduces the likelihood of failure. Successful people are those who never quit. Success is found not in never falling, but in rising each time you fall. Failures are caused by doing those things that don’t work. Discover those things that work and then do them consistently.

Complacency, or the desire to retire is brought on by experiencing a false sense success. When people become complacent in their sales activities they become bored. What is the solution? Constantly set realistic and achievable goals. Push yourself a little harder and challenge yourself to discover what is humanly possible.

Inadequate belief causes a person not to take action. Create a vision within yourself and see your accomplishments in your mind. Once you can envision success you will work to physically achieve that success. Discover what you believe is possible and then challenge yourself to accomplish it.

When you can stand up to these three saboteurs and deal with them head-on you will absolutely increase the level of your sales success.

Belief Is Necessary For Sales Success

The auto maker and industrialist, Henry Ford once said, “If you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re right”. No statement was ever more true for a sales person. Belief in the validity of your products and services, your company, your industry, and most importantly – yourself, are essential for sales success. Belief creates desire and desire promotes action. Activity is the engine of sales. In order to be successful in sales you must develop a pattern of daily activity. Sales is a numbers game, and requires a certain amount of activity to achieve a specific result.

It is true that when sales skills are improved, more sales will be generated from the same amount of activity, but nothing will happen unless there is a belief great enough to cause the sales person to take action. Without exception, great sports coaches and athletes will all agree that success in the world of sports is as much a mental activity as it is physical. A sales person or an athlete will never achieve what they cannot believe. Get your head in the game of sales, believe in yourself and your ability to be successful. Read the following statement each day and watch your belief grow and your sales increase:

“WHATEVER I VIVIDLY IMAGINE,
ARDENTLY DESIRE,
SINCERELY BELIEVE
AND ENTHUSIASTICALLY ACT UPON,
MUST INEVITABLY COME TO PASS!”