What It Takes To Succeed
Compare your sales performance with athletic success rates. You may be a better hitter than you thought.
Ability To Deal With Failure
In Sports: Even the most successful hitters in baseball, with career batting averages in the .333 range, fail to hit the ball two out of every three times at bat.
In Sales: Out of every 10 sales calls, you are likely to see only four people, to get an extended time for presenting your product or service two times, and to close a sale maybe once, if you've done everything right and you have some luck. You have to be able to deal with failure.
High Self-Esteem
In Sports: No matter what's happening in the game, the highly successful athlete keeps on plugging because he or she knows that it's nothing personal. The breaks are bound to come again and it's important to stick with what got you into the game.
In Sales: Selling slumps are legendary. Everyone has them. Top salespeople know how to get out of them - fast. They make more calls, refresh their selling skills, read motivational books, talk to other top producers - they get moving.
Self Discipline
In Sports: Discipline drives the successful athlete. Cal Ripkin is a perfect example of the greatest self-discipline an athlete can have. Although he is not a super performer, he makes up for it with a discipline that is cast in steel.
In Sales: No sales career takes off without applying the basics over and over, day after day. It's not enough to shine for one sale and then let yourself fall apart for a week. The daily discipline of making calls and call backs, doing the homework, and following up on promises creates a climate for sales success.
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