Creating Sales Excellence: The Courage To Look Inward.

"If I speak of myself in different ways, that is because I look at myself in different ways."

Michel de Montaigne

It's fair to say the perception of ourselves can vary depending on the context or perspective from which we are viewing ourselves. 

The above-mentioned quote reflects the idea that one's identity and self-concept are multifaceted, meaning this can be shaped by various factors such as personal experiences, societal influences, and interpersonal relationships. 

As we get started on our journey together, allow me to ask you a question...How far and how much have you grown in your sales life?

Pause for a moment, grab a cup of coffee, sit down, and reflect... take yourself back to 5 years ago and now push yourself to the present...

• Are you reaching greater heights in your sales life now, as compared to 5 years ago?
• What sales goals have you hit now, as compared to 5 years ago? 
• Are you more fulfilled with your sales life now, as compared to 5 years ago?

If you want to create sales excellence, then you must learn to grow.

Success does not come to you overnight. It's achieved through daily improvement combined with radical amounts of discipline. 

A true sales professional doesn't sleepwalk through the day nor their career.

Sales professionals actively think about the things they do. They are proactive with their personal and professional development. They objectively assess themselves on a regular basis. They look at things through an unbiased and clear set of lenses.

Daily they ask themselves:

• Am I learning from my mistakes?
• Am I constantly pushing myself out of my comfort zone?
• Do I still believe I can do this?

The quality of your life is dependent on the quality of the questions you continue to ask yourself. 

If you’re not willing to ask questions to help yourself grow, then what your life looks like today is what your life will look like 10 years from now, plain and simple. 

Lather, rinse and repeat. 

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy."

Norman Vincent Peale

CREATING SALES EXCELLENCE, STARTS WITH LOOKING INWARD

The journey to becoming a sales professional starts with gaining a clear understanding who you are at your core. 

It's becoming in tune with your deeper self. It's the ability to recognize what fires you up, what makes you happy or sad.

"People will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their own souls." 

Carl Jung

As a sales society, we’re largely fixated on the outer work. We focus on the stack rankings, where we're at quarter or year-to-date, key performance indicators, and number of new clients... starting to the get the picture?

Let's all take a step back and acknowledge these are merely outer symbols. This doesn't reflect your inner world. 

Are you working towards a life you love, or are you just busy being busy?

The key to sales excellence lies in transforming yourself through the inner work.

When you truly understand who you are, you can make a conscious effort to improve yourself and how you communicate better with others.

• How do you deal with your emotions?
• How do you react when your sales life goes astray?
• What areas both personally and professionally do you really excel at?
• What areas do you need to work on in your personal development journey?

The question I have for all you...

Do you have the courage to dig in and ask yourself deep questions?

THE JOURNEY INWARD

What makes your heart sing?

What makes you come alive?

How would you define yourself?

I encourage you to become your own Sherlock Holmes. Become interested in what grabs your attention and tugs on your heartstrings.

Stop looking in the dictionary for words that define you.

Getting to know yourself allows you to tap into the road of happiness as this becomes mission critical to your success. Your beliefs, your attitude and your daily routines are crucial to you creating sales excellence.

Gaining an understanding of yourself means recognizing your strengths, but also your willingness to unpack your shortcomings. 

This means getting extremely vulnerable. This starts with looking in the mirror and saying to yourself, "This is me. This is the real me. This is who I am."

When you start asking questions of yourself you must be open to receiving the answers. 

This means listening to what's coming right at you. When you start looking for answers to the pending questions of your life, you must be ready because some of the things you've been telling yourself may not be true. 

New results require new thinking patterns.

Are you finding yourself at the crossroads of, "I wish things would become better?"

If so, this might be the time to start asking yourself some inward, reflective and tough questions.

• What brings me joy?
• Why do I matter?
• What matters most in my life?
• What fulfills me?
• What would I say to the version of myself from a year ago?
• What are my guiding principles and values?

If you struggle to ask yourself deep questions, then you will struggle to ask your clients deep questions?

I do know this, you can choose to continue not growing, or you can do the work to bring you to a happier healthier life, both personally and professionally. 

People, those answers are all wrapped up inside of you. 

THE COURAGE TO BECOME COMFORTABLE WITH BEING UNCOMFORTABLE

Becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable is what ferocious self-honesty is built upon.

I encourage you to think about this one...

How can you become ferociously self-honest if you struggle to deal with any discomfort in your life?

Those of you who are willing to take risks, step out of your comfort zone and create some discomfort, will reap the biggest rewards.

Let this one sink in for a moment...

If you can't challenge yourself to improve, then how can you challenge your clients to improve?

John Simone nails it,

“The key to wisdom is knowing all the right questions.”

What questions are you asking yourself daily?

The questions you ask yourself affect the sales life you lead. The questions you ask yourself literally determine what your mind focuses on, which triggers certain thoughts, actions, and inactions, ultimately affecting your sales results. 

By asking empowering questions, maintaining a growth mindset, making strategic decisions, taking proactive action, and staying hyper-focused on your goals, you will create sales excellence. 

When you commit to asking yourself empowering, deeply reflective questions, it shifts your mind to a whole new level and sets into motion the thinking and actions to jumpstart your sales life.

Creating sales excellence, it's about having the courage to look inward. 

Maya Angelou once said,

"Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest."

Originally published on Larry Levine's LinkedIn.