As I've looked back on my career and especially during these few weeks leading up to my 30th birthday I think of all the questions I've faced along the way. Where to go to college? What to study in college? What kind of job to take after graduation, what industry to be in, what experience do I want to gain along the way, where do I want to be in a few years??? And the list goes on and on.
One thing I've learned is that you'll never have all of the answers at any given time, but it is incredibly important to be continually asking the questions. Asking questions and pressing your curiosity is the ONLY way to expand your mind. I challenge you to ask questions, both about the present and your future.
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Employees at a startup must buy-in to the long term vision of the company, they must live the culture, feel there is an open forum to discuss problems, be excitable for every small accomplishment, and be overly enthusiastic. When leaders nurture this kind of positivity, productivity will blossom.
Nothing sums me up better than the image below. I want to inspire people. If I can make a positive impact on just one person a week, I'll be happy.
This will be a much larger post in the future, but so important that it's a must for my #30daystill30. LinkedIn is quite possibly the most powerful tool on the web to date. Social selling is real. If you're not actively following your prospects on Twitter and LinkedIn you are behind. Company info is easily available on Twitter and personal info on LinkedIn. Social selling is a must in today's complex world, and as sales execs we need every advantage we can leverage.
Attention to detail. Attentive. Quick. Agile. Great sales producers have these skills. After years in the sales business throughout multiple industries I have witnessed these bad habits first hands, and they're SO easy to avoid. It's the customer above everything else. It doesn't matter if it's at 5am, noon, or 10pm - you're always on call because it's your business. Only you answer for your production. Unless for very strategic scenarios, blowing off a customer is directly correlated to blowing off your success.
I was 25 years old and in my first eyar of business school. One of the guest lecturers comes in to talk about startups and during his lecture is describing the different types of people need in the early stages of a company. He goes on to say there is the founder and/or co-founder(s), there are technical people, and perhaps even a couple of sales people. So as he begins surveying the room he ask who here believes they could be or are a founder. I raise my hand, he calls on me, and the first thing he asked me was, "what kind of car do you drive?" Now, I'm the last eprson who says that anyting besides talking to me directly is a great way to understand someone. So, taken back, I reply honestly - Audi. His response - of course it is, you're a sales guy, sales guys love having a nice car. There is nothing wrong with it, it motivates you, there is a sense of accomplishment, but you're a sales guy. If you are the founder of a company you need to be selling something, maybe even sales itself. That conversation was 5 years ago, and it has stuck with me since. Obviously I'm not saying that al sales people drive Audi's or are driven merely by material possessions, but there are certain personalities that lend themselves to great developers, great financiers, and great sales people alike. I'll take my Audi, to be frank - I'm proud to be a "sales guy."
In almost every organization tenure and/or sales experience reigns over sales training or sales methodology. That's because most have only attributed training or methodology to experience. Most believe that sales is an artsy ability that some have and others don't and the only true test of one's ability is that of time. I couldn't disagree more. I was recently working as a consultant for a startup in Philadelphia and out of the 3 new sales executives they hired, none had any prior sales training. What was more concerning was that formal sales training was not even a criteria they were evaluated on. Truth be told, their past performance and experiences were 90% of the evaluation process. Sure, sales is the one area of an organization where performance is easily measured - but there was nothing more that any of these individuals brought to the table more than simple experience.
Launching October 30th, which is the conclusion of my #30daystill30, will be www.SellingAsAScience.com. When treated as a science, as a repeatable function, sales will begin improving drastically. Sales rep 1 isn't struggling because they aren't very good selling product Y or because rep 2 has better accounts. Sales rep 1 is struggling because they aren't taking a methodical, analytical approach to the game. When treated as a science, anyone, in any scenario, can be successful in sales. While on our honeymoon in Napa, CA last month we met a great family - a gentleman and his two daughters. We shared an incredible tasting at Swanson vineyard (my favorite in the valley) and ever since he sends his thought for the day. I wanted to share, because in sales often times our deals take a turn, and especially in life many things take a turn. Often times it is not the turn of events that define us, but rather how we handle the turns.
Thought for the Day: "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." (Author Unknown) This past weekend my wife, Gina, and I headed to the Shore for her good friend Colleen's wedding. Wedding weekend's are the best. We spent the weekend with 6 of Gina's high school friends and their significant others at one girls shore house, spent time reminiscing, and of course had a blast at the wedding itself. Weekends such as this are a great time to leave the office behind for a day (maybe even two!) and enjoy those near and dear. I'm a firm believer in working harder than anyone around, but also stepping back and enjoying time with those we enjoy.
Faith is incredibly important asset for any sales executive or entrepreneur. Healthy mind, healthy body, healthy soul. Keeping your faith strong, in whatever religion, is paramount.
"Faith is taking the first step even when you cannot see the staircase" |
AuthorCarl Eppolito is an experienced sales producer, coach, and author. ArchivesCategories
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