The Key to Unlocking Better Sales Technique
Achieving better sales technique is about taking three elite sales mindsets – CONFIDENCE, DILIGENCE and STRATEGY and transforming them into solid performance.
You must become a “learning machine,” constantly growing, constantly practicing, and constantly expanding your capabilities.
When I first started in sales, I received very little training. What’s more, I was not (at the time) much of a reader. And this was before the days of blog posts and podcasts.
The result? I learned by making mistakes. Lots and lots of mistakes.
Here’s the problem. After a while, most salespeople plateau. They learn as much as they need to learn to get into a groove – but then they stop growing.
Their sales technique might be good – but it’s not great.
The difference between having good sales technique and having great, top-performer-satus sales technique requires a very specific plan.
It includes two factors that many salespeople find very difficult to accept.
Number one: vulnerability. Number two: a willingness to fail.
First, let’s consider vulnerability.
If you want better sales technique, you need to be open and honest with yourself – about yourself!
You need to be in a position where you are willing to allow others to critique you. In other words, you need to be coachable.
It’s very difficult to effectively self-evaluate your performance. Being vulnerable means you’re willing to let your sales manager, your peers, and anyone else who can help give you insight into improving your sales technique.
The other factor that will grow your sales technique is to get to the point where you are not afraid to fail. In fact, not only are you not afraid to fail, but you actually embrace failure.
In any skill development – sales, music, theater, public speaking – there are painful moments when you fail – when you learn what “wrong” looks like. On the other hand, when you do that thing right, you know it right away! You think, “Ahh… I’ve got it!” And it’s a great feeling.
Once again, think back to when you were first learning to ride a bike. You just had to fall repeatedly in order to figure out what you were doing wrong and what right felt like.
Too many salespeople get into the habit of avoiding failure. Out of fear, they stay with what is “good.” But in order to be great you absolutely must experience failure.
That destination that we call mastery lies on a road called repetition. So try it – fail – get coached – try it again – fail better – get more feedback – try it again, etc., etc.
Take a moment to consider your own sales technique. Challenge yourself to be vulnerable about what you need to change. And then be willing to fail repeatedly in your practice sessions.
When you do these two things, your TECHNIQUE will get better and better. And you’ll find yourself growing from good, and then to great, and then to mastery.
So, grow forward and fail fast, my friends!
