Written for The Nova Scotia Business Journal
What is the key to success? Why do some people excel in their profession and others don’t?
Consider Albert Einstein, the father of modern physics. He discovered relativity, quantum physics, and particle theory. He was a success. In order to make ground-breaking discoveries Einstein had to make changes to his approach when what he was doing wasn’t successful. The discoveries in themselves were brilliant, but his ability to change is what led him to them.
Einstein once said “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change”. If that is true for science or even just humanity in general, why shouldn’t it be true for sales?
Some sales professionals do the same unproductive things over and over, and remarkably expect to achieve different results. They procrastinate instead of prospecting, they refrain from asking the tough questions, or they spend their time giving free consulting.
Why do we keep doing it? What keeps us from making changes for the good? Einstein, like David Sandler, might ask, “Are we working on the right end of the problem?”
Perhaps for some it’s the fear of discomfort or a fear of failure. Perhaps it’s not fear at all — maybe we’ve just been working the same way for so many years that we never stopped to consider there may be a better way.
If you ever feel like your sales process is working you instead of the other way around, stop and ask yourself, what if I changed it? Worst case scenario is you learn something and move on.
Take a page from Einstein’s book and remember: “I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be.”
©2012 Sandler Training Inc. (www.atlantic.sandler.com) is an international sales and management training/consulting firm. For a free copy of Why Salespeople Fail And What To Do About It, call Sandler Training at (902) 468-0787 or e-mail salescareers@sandler.com
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