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Throughout my career, I have had numerous conversations with people seeking advice about joining the sales profession. Recently, in just such a conversation, I was asked:
“If you could only offer only one piece of advice as I start a career in sales, what would that one thing be?”
I started. I stopped.
Huh.
Good question.
I’m rarely at a loss for words, but just one piece of advice? I have about 1,200 answers and you want me to narrow it down to just ONE?
So, I did. I finally settled on one single piece of advice for someone who would consider a career in sales. I will share that with you shortly; but first, let me tell you where that one question led me.
I am fortunate to be affiliated with a large group of professionals who teach, train, consult, or coach in the profession of selling. Following my conversation, I was driving back to my office, thinking about how someone else might have answered, and it dawned on me that I have access to this rather large cadre of sales experts.
So, I decided to see how they would respond to the question.
I presented the scenario, posed the question asked, and asked each of them how they would answer.
21 people responded. Frankly, I did not expect that many replies. These people are extremely busy training and writing and consulting, and are involved in all types of projects. But they responded in force, and, as one might expect, they provided a wide variety of answers.
I found their answers to be fascinating. These sales experts represent a wide diversity of backgrounds, a variety of sales positions, a whole world of experiences, and many different attitudes about selling. That diversity led to – in some cases – wildly different answers, but – in other cases – remarkably similar answers.
Taken all together, I would suggest that their responses form a valuable framework around which anyone, I think, could assemble a very good notion about what it takes to be successful in sales, and what their specific chances for success might be.
Over the course of the next few blog posts, I will share all of their answers with you, and I will break them into four groups:
1. Completely unique (3)
2. Discovery (5)
3. Learning and relationships (6)
4. Mindset (7)
I think you will find their ideas, though not necessarily earth shattering or never-before-heard-of, to be valuable and quite useful. A few of the answers, I assure you, will cause you to stop and think.
The list of contributors to this ad-hoc project are as follows:
Miles Austin (@milesaustin)
Lynn Hidy (@upyourtelesales)
Leanne Hoagland Smith (@coachlee)
Mark Hunter (@thesaleshunter)
Anthony Iannarino (@iannarino)
Mike Kunkle (@mike_kunkle)
Jack Malcolm (@jackmalcolm)
Nance Nardin (@sellingtools)
Tim Ohai (@timohai)
Lori Richardson (@scoremoresales)
Kelley Robertson (@kel_robertson)
Steven Rosen (@stevenarosen)
Andy Rudin (@andy_rudin)
Richard Ruff (@saleshorizons)
Todd Schnick (@toddschnick)
Elinor Stutz (@smoothsale)
Robert Terson (@robertterson)
Dan Waldschmidt (@danwaldo)
Townsend Wardlaw (@townsendwardlaw)
Barbara Weaver Smith (@bweaversmith)
Mike Weinberg (@mike_weinberg)
As I present their answers, I will also provide their credentials and contact information. Clearly, if you’re in sales, you should be following and reading every one of them.
I did, finally, put together an answer to the question. Clearly, the idea that there is one single piece of advice that would guarantee success in the sale profession is a little over the top. But, that’s not really the point.
The point is to find a pearl of wisdom that may a positive influence on someone’s career, perhaps to save them from a silly mistake, or, from another perspective, provide them with a time-tested success habit.
Maybe it’s just to give them a proper perspective on the mess they are about to step in!
Here is my answer:
“You will need to learn a lot of critical skills to be successful in selling. And, you will most certainly endure challenges and setbacks in the years to come.
Frankly, selling is a tough profession and it isn’t for everyone.
So, my one piece of advice is that you first “count the cost,” and then measure it against your own desire and personal discipline.
Measure your desire to succeed regardless of the numerous obstacles, barriers, heart-stopping failures, and negative opinions you will encounter.
Measure your discipline to learn and practice and hone your craft in balance against the many other things that will compete for your time and attention. This balance will be critical to your success, AND to your enjoyment of that success.
This, I think, will provide you with a pretty good understanding of whether or not you have what it takes to be successful in sales.”
What do you think?
Kelly Riggs is a business performance coach and founder of the Business LockerRoom. A former national Salesperson of the Year and serial entrepreneur, Kelly is a recognized thought leader in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning. He serves clients ranging from small, privately held companies to Fortune 500 firms. Kelly has written two books: “1-on-1 Management™: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t” and “Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales.”
