What keeps Ultimate Sales Pros Motivated?
What is it about sales that attracts and keeps Ultimate Sales Pros motivated every day?
I have two answers…
- It’s a profession that always challenges you to do your best. We all know the old adage, “There’s no second place in sales.” Even when we win, we’re always looking for ways to be a little better next time. There’s always something higher to aim for.
- It’s one of the few professions where you are ultimately accountable to yourself. Whether you work for yourself or for a larger organization, sales comes with an objective scorecard. Either you’re winning or you aren’t. If you can sell — if you can put those wins on the board — you are rewarded not only financially, but also with autonomy and personal power. More than in any other profession, I believe, selling gives people the opportunity to take charge of their destiny and create
the life they want.
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This article is an excerpt from my latest book, The Ultimate Sales Pro which will be published by HarperCollins Leadership, and is scheduled to be released on August 14, 2018.
Sales Serendipity
That’s my why. But what about you? Do you truly understand why you found your way to a career in sales?
It’s true that people often get started on a path through a certain amount of serendipity: A certain job opened up at a certain time — experience in one industry leads to other opportunities in the same industry, and so on. But there’s also a purpose.
Some jobs don’t fit, and people bounce out of them fairly quickly. We all know plenty of people who worked in sales and ultimately moved on to some other career path. (I don’t consider these people failures, by the way — they had the courage to know what wasn’t working for them and to find something better.)
Know the WHY
But if you’ve stuck with sales this long, there must be a reason why. It’s critically important to know what that WHY is. You don’t have to tell anyone else, but get real with yourself. Your “why” is your compass. It keeps you moving in the right direction, especially when the path isn’t clear. If you know that your why is the thrill of the hunt, for example, you won’t make the mistake of taking a “farming” job servicing large accounts. It may be a great opportunity — for someone. But if it doesn’t feed your why, you’ll end up regretting it.
Knowing your why isn’t as easy as it sounds. It requires deep reflection and honesty. So take some time — sit alone in a dark room if you must — to truly consider the question. And revisit the question regularly, because your why can change as your career evolves.
