Sales Professionals Are Called Professionals For A Reason, Are You Willing To Do The Work?

“I am inspired by the professionalism of others. I believe there is an obligation to strive for excellence in what one is asked to do. No pains are too great, no revisions too tedious, no matter how small the result.” 

Densey Clyne

The only way to become better at sales is to spend time working on it.

Are you willing to do the work?

Curious to know, what words would you use to describe a professional?

Would you agree on these... competent, qualified, skillful, adept, expert, masterful, proficient, prepared, polished, and refined. What would you add?

In a world where trust and credibility are at staggering low levels, it is incumbent that salespeople rise up to change the perception of how they are viewed within the marketplace.

When we think of professionals, what immediately comes to mind? - Doctors, Nurses, Lawyers, Accountants, and Teachers, just to name a few.

Members of these professions are expected to exhibit high levels of integrity and trustworthiness, would you agree?

Where would salespeople rank amongst these professionals?

What does a professional mean to you?

According to Wikipedia, the original meaning of professional was derived from the Middle English profes, an adjective meaning having professed one's vows, which itself derived from Latin professus, meaning to profess, confess. It was the notion that professionals were those who "professed" their skill to others, and "vowed" to perform their profession to the highest standard. 

Let's all stop for a moment as I ask... Are you performing to the highest of standards?

"Without professionalism I'd be an amateur, and the clients I want don't hire amateurs."

David Airey

Do your clients and future clients desire to work with a sales professional or a sales amateur?

ARE YOU WILLING TO PUT IN THE WORK?

You must be willing to get off the comfy couch. Complacency is a choice. You must get outside of your physical, mental, and emotional comfort zones. You must be willing to push the envelope, to get comfortable being uncomfortable.

We have choices in life and we have choices with our careers. When it comes to the sales world, I bet it is safe to say many of us when we were younger didn't say, "When I grow up, I want to become a sales professional."

I say all this because sales is a noble profession. Without selling, how does money move through the economy at the rate it needs to?

Curious to know... What do you think separates a sales professional from the rest of the pack? Do they have more talent? Not necessarily! Are they more gifted than others? On some occasions, yes. Do they want and smell sales success more than you? Do they practice, plan and prepare more than others?

You see, the very successful professionals work harder, and on a more consistent basis; because they want it more. Their inner drive propels them. It fuels everything they do.

If you desire to become a sales professional, then your biggest obstacle is the very person you see when you look in the mirror!

The mirror never lies, only the person looking into it

Again, sales professionals are called sales professionals for a reason.

Are you willing to do the work on a daily basis, week in and week out, month in and month out? If you said yes, then you must buckle-down by elevating your training, performance, and mindset.

"Without hard work and discipline it is difficult to be a top professional"

Jahangir Kahn

PROFESSIONAL HABITS AND MINDSET

Just asking... Could the difference between a sales professional and a sales rep lie within their habits and mindset?

I believe sales professionals have developed habits, routines, and rhythms that guide them to stay at the top.

I have spent time getting to know Jeffrey Gitomer. What I admire about him is his dedication, passion, and commitment to the sales profession. Decades ago, in a survey that he conducted, he found that if the following characteristics are mastered, a salesperson improves performance beyond the rest.

These are:

• An unyielding belief in the company
• An unyielding belief in the product
• An unyielding confidence and belief in yourself
• Creativity to differentiate yourself from the competition
• A sense of humor that builds deep rapport
• The ability (and willpower) to promote yourself
• The ability (and willpower) to maintain price integrity
• Unyielding personal values and ethics
• Reliability and dependability – meeting your commitments
• A passion and desire to excel and be the best
• Exciting presentation skills (this is a learned skill)
• An ability to generate profit and loyal customers
• Attitude: Selling for the love of helping others get what they want rather than for the love of money
• Perpetual positive attitude and enthusiasm

The right mindset, heart set, and skill set will catapult you to new sales heights.

Are you willing to take your career to the next level?

Are you willing to put in the work to become a sales professional?

JUST PUT IN THE WORK

If you fail to put in the work, you will never find true success.

Sales professionals stand out amongst a sea of sales sameness

You’ve heard about Malcolm Gladwell and his 10,000-hour rule. He studied and discovered the most successful people are the ones who have put in the hard work. They dive into their craft and study. And they worked and worked some more.

You can’t expect success to come to you just because you want it to. You must be willing to work hard.

You must adjust your mindset. Every morning, look in the mirror in and say to yourself, I'm a sales professional.

Moving from a sales rep to a sales professional requires:

• A commitment to yourself
• A commitment to a stronger work ethic
• A commitment to a plan

How many of you are willing to double-down on yourself?

How many of you will do the things necessary to change the course of your sales career?

Will you commit to doing the work, or dodge it?

• Becoming better is simply, better.
• Progressing is simply, progress.
• Potential is simply, potential.

Sales professionals treat their career as a profession, sales reps treat it as a job.

Think about it.